Things I Never Needed
by RositaLG
Summary: Bday fic for Jenlovesbones! Booth and Brennan try to find their footing in their new lives. Season Six fic.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Those of you who know me know that I am on Twitter way too much. What you may not know is that Jenlovesbones was my very first Twitter follower. And on this, the anniversary of her birth, I have pulled a fic out of my notes file just for her. Her prompt was: A post 100****th**** fic where Booth realizes he made a terrible mistake and gets his act together. And I went, "Hey! I've been writing that for months now! Perfect timing!"**

**Happy birthday, love. You're one of the good ones and I'm so very glad that we are Gilmore Girls quoting, Bones and Castle watching, political ideology sharing, friends. :)**

**Very special thanks to Some1tookmyname for beta work and giving her support on this story when I wasn't completely sold on it. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or Grace Potter's song "Things I Never Needed" but y'all should go out and buy it. It's so B&B. **

OOOOO

Brennan was sitting in her office when Hodgins entered unannounced.

"Um, Dr. B? There's a British guy here for you. He says he's from the Maluku project." Brennan frowned as she thought about who it could possibly be. "He's waiting in the entryway." She promptly headed out to see who it was. As she turned the corner and he came into view, she couldn't help but smile.

"Dr. Powell! What are you doing here?" She asked as she made her way over to her visitor.

"I want my forensic anthropologist back." He said honestly.

'You can't have me." Brennan said confidently.

"I already knew that." He said with a wink. Brennan fought the smile that wanted to appear, but it came out as a crooked smirk instead. "What, are you seriously going to stand there and pretend that you aren't happy to see me?" He asked as he opened his arms for a hug.

"Anything's possible." She teased but she wrapped her arms around him anyway.

"It's good to see you, Bren."

"I feel like it's too soon to say the same for you." She said. "Did you really fly halfway around the world just to hear my refusal in person this time?" She asked. "Because if so, I know a psychologist who would love to talk to you."

"I'm in between places. Thought I would drop in and see how life post-Maluku was treating you. And yes, maybe, selfishly, try and win you back to science's cause." He said as he noticed the crowd of blue coats that was gathering behind her. "Do you have time for lunch?" He asked.

"Yes I do." She smiled. "Let me just grab my coat." She said as she motioned him back to her office. Dan went to work inspecting the place as she grabbed her jacket.

"Stanley!" He smiled as he looked into the iguana's tank. "How fantastic. He's just as I pictured." Brennan laughed.

"You know that you are the only person in the world that calls him that."

"An iguana ought to have a proper name, Brennan. It's a travesty that a majestic creature like this remains nameless. Don't you think that he looks like a Stanley?"

"I think that he looks like an iguana."

"Ever the pragmatist." He pouted at her denial to play along. "I'm sorry, Stanley. Try not to take it personally, mate."

"Oh, you're mates now? You've known each other all of thirty seconds." Brennan commented.

"We have a mutual understanding." Dan said stoically before cracking a smile.

OOOOO

Booth walked into the diner with a laugh as Hannah was telling her story about her crazy work day. He automatically headed for the usual table but stopped dead in his tracks when he realized that Brennan was already sitting there with a man he didn't recognize. It looked like they had just finished eating.

"Who's that?" Hannah asked, her reporter's curiosity refusing to be contained. "Does Temperance have a new boyfriend?"

"No." Booth said quickly. "I mean, not that I know of." He corrected as Hannah marched over to find out.

"Hannah!" Brennan said in surprise as they came into view.

"Hey Temperance." She smiled. "I hope we're not interrupting anything."

"Of course not. We were just about to leave, but please, sit down." She smiled back as Dan finished signing his credit card slip. "Dan, this is my partner, Special Agent Seeley Booth and his girlfriend Hannah Burley." Booth saw the flit of surprise at the word 'girlfriend', but Dan, for all of his credit, managed to keep it mostly hidden.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Dan said as he held out his hand for Booth to shake.

"You too." Booth glanced at his partner for more information as he sat down next to her. She got the message.

"Dan and I were doctoral students together. He's was the person who invited me to work on the Maluku project."

"Luckily for me, the esteemed Dr. Brennan managed to fit us into her busy schedule for a few months before she had to go back to saving the world." He teased her. "I've been trying to convince her to come back and finish what she started." And with that, Dan had Booth's attention. Hannah found the words to speak before he did.

"Go back to the Malukus?" She clarified.

"I keep telling him that he's wasting his time but he loves to hear the word no." Brennan said, feigning exasperation. Booth was certain the sigh of relief he exhaled was noticeable to the rest of the table, but he didn't care.

"Well, when it's coming from you, it doesn't seem like such a waste of time." Brennan rolled her eyes but chuckled, clearly charmed by his statement. "Besides, I'm not giving up on you just yet. You never know when a change of heart is going to come along." He said.

"She's happy where she is." Booth answered for her. Brennan was clearly surprised by Booth's territorial response but he didn't care.

"For now." Dan smiled confidently.

"I think the men are fighting over you." Hannah smiled slyly.

"It's highly unnecessary." Brennan said as she stood up. "Miss Wick will have finished the reconstruction by now. I'm going back to the lab. Dan, did you want to come along or would you rather stay here and see if you can annoy Booth until he shoots you?" He laughed.

"Oh, Agent Booth knows that it's just a little professional competition." Dan said, waving his hand. "No hard feelings for trying to steal your partner away from you, I hope." He smiled.

"Everyone wants to work with the best." Booth smiled through a rather tight jaw.

"I'm glad that we agree." Dan said. "Enjoy your lunch." Booth watched as they exited the diner before turning his attention back to his girlfriend.

"So? What do you think?" Hannah asked with a flair for gossip that only a reporter could manage.

"I don't like him." Booth said certainly, his eyes still on the menu in front of him.

"Well he's better than most of the other guys who have tried recently." Hannah said. Booth looked up from his menu. Given their situation, the fact that his girlfriend knew more about his partner's love life than he did was completely unsettling. "Anyway, I think they would be good together. I'll have to talk to Temperance about him." Hannah decided as she picked up her menu. "I mean, they have so much in common. Everyone knows how important that is to a relationship." Booth felt his stomach turn over. What was it with people and that statement? First Bones, then Sweets, now Hannah? If he never heard it again, it would be too soon. He turned to look out the window at the pair waiting to cross the street and he was just in time to catch the kiss that Dan left on his partner's temple. Booth dropped his menu and folded his hands in front of his mouth.

"Do you know what you want?" Hannah asked. Booth stared at her for a second before realizing that she was talking about the food.

"You know, I'm not really hungry." He lied poorly. "I think I'm just going to have a coffee." He told the waitress. Hannah didn't seem to notice as she placed her order. By the time that Booth mustered up the strength to look out the window again, they were gone.

OOOOO

"What the hell was that?" Brennan whispered harshly as soon as they exited the diner.

"I should be asking you the same thing!" He said. "He has a girlfriend? That's the sort of information you open the conversation with! 'Hi Dan, nice to see you. Remember that guy I'm in love with? He has a girlfriend now'."

"Shh." Brennan glanced back at the diner as if Booth could somehow hear the whispers through the glass.

"When did this even happen?"

"They met in Afghanistan. Hannah is a war correspondent and Booth saved her life." Brennan said as she turned her attention towards oncoming cars. She didn't need to see Dan's face when he heard the news.

"Wow. That's, admittedly, a little hard to compete with." He acknowledged.

"They seem to be very happy." Brennan said.

"Bollocks." Dan said, not buying it for a moment.

"It's not." Brennan said definitively as she turned back to face him. "I've seen the way he looks at her. I don't know a lot about people, but I know Booth. He's in love with her." Dan watched the resigned look cross her features before he let out a sigh of resignation himself.

"I'm sorry." He said, placing a kiss to her temple as he squeezed her shoulder. "I just hate the idea of him strutting around with a girlfriend when you're sitting right there. It's cruel." He defended.

"I actually like Hannah. We're friends, in a strange way."

"Oh, don't say that." Dan said. "Now is not the time to be noble. Wouldn't you rather hate her?"

"I could never hate anything that makes Booth that happy." She said honestly. "We're quite similar actually." Dan stared at her. "That being said, I will admit that I may have entertained a passing thought or two regarding a way to kill her and make it look like an accident." She confessed, a small wicked grin creeping into the corner of her mouth.

"That's my girl." Dan said proudly as he took her arm and crossed the street.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to all of you who kept trying the broken link until it worked. Your PMs and tweets were much appreciated. I want to know if things don't work for you! I hate unhappy readers. Trust me when I say it was just as frustrating for us writers trying to post as it was for you readers! Because you all were outraged by my unintentional fic-teasing, I'm posting chapter 2 early in gratitude! Once again, thanks to Some1tookmyname for the read through.**

OOOOO

As soon as they got back to her office, Dan sat her down on her couch.

"Okay, start at the beginning. I'm a scientist. I need to build a timeline." Dan said. Brennan smiled.

"Seven years ago?"

"Maybe just since the night he asked you out." Dan said. Brennan proceeded to tell him the whole story and when she was done, Dan whistled and leaned back in his chair. "You weren't exaggerating."

"I don't do that." She said and Dan fought a smile at her offended tone. "I still don't understand what he was thinking. He spent every day of our partnership, telling me in various ways, that we could never be together. It was too dangerous in the field, we wouldn't be able to be partners anymore, there are just some lines you cannot cross, people you cannot sleep with." She listed his excuses. "He said it over and over." She said, closing her eyes.

"So that's why you said no?" He asked, hoping she wouldn't cut herself off now that he was asking questions.

"I was just so shocked at his sudden change of heart. Booth is impulsive, I know that, but this…"

"He wanted to gamble on something that he couldn't gamble on." Dan said, understanding in his voice.

"Yes." Brennan said, feeling instantly better that someone understood. She hadn't talked about it with anyone this openly because everyone had an opinion. Dan didn't; he just listened. "I told him that I wasn't a gambler and that I couldn't change that about myself. I don't know how to gamble." She repeated her line from that night. "When I told him that, he agreed and I felt hopeful that he might be able to understand my point of view, but then he immediately said that he had to move on and…"

"And you believed that was what he needed to do so that you wouldn't be able to hurt him." He sighed, clearly not agreeing with her opinion.

"He did move on." She reminded him. "And I'm really glad that he found Hannah." She admitted quietly.

"Why?" Dan asked. Brennan frowned at his question. "No really, I mean, how can you stand it?"

"People keep asking me that. I can stand it because I know now that despite his claims that he loved me and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, he clearly wasn't ready to make that promise. He was so sad when I told him no." She paused to remember his tear-stained face before pushing the image away again. "I felt terrible at the time but in the end, I think I made the right decision." Dan was surprised by her logic, but let her continue. "How could he ask me for forever and then not be willing to give it himself?" She asked rhetorically. "I suspected it at the time, but I know it now. He let the ideas in Sweets' book get to him and he acted impulsively. He wanted to believe it and he even might have thought that he loved me, but…he didn't, not really."

"If he had told you that he loved you, actually said the words, would it have changed your mind?" Dan asked, analyzing her face.

"He didn't." She said. "He told me that he was a gut person and that he knew. That wasn't enough for me, not when…" She caught herself.

"You've loved him all along." He finished for her. Brennan looked surprised and Dan couldn't help but chuckle at her face. "Don't look so shocked. I think people started catching on about 100 pages into your first book." He smiled. "But nevertheless, your secret is safe with me." Brennan felt like laying her head down on the table in embarrassment, but she resisted the urge. How could everyone around her know, but the one man who prided himself on reading people couldn't see how she felt? "So what's happened since you've gotten back?" He asked.

"It's like we're starting over." She said. "We don't see each other except when we have to work. I would understand if it were just me, but he won't even socialize with the others at the lab anymore." She sighed.

"That must be difficult." Dan commented.

"I brought it on myself. I was the one who wanted to keep working together. I practically begged him for it. And, because he is good and honorable, he stayed." She said, the appreciation in her voice not going unnoticed. "I'm starting to understand just how difficult that must have been for him to do."

"And how does Hannah feel about your and Booth's history?" He asked.

"I don't think she knows." Brennan admitted hesitantly. "Well, Angela says that she doesn't. She thinks that if she did, she wouldn't be as friendly as she is. She doesn't seem to be threatened or worried about me being in his life. She's said several times that people who are important to Booth are important to her. She's even gone to great lengths to get to know all of the women in the lab. She wants to fit in here."

"And has she?"

"She's moved in with Booth quite successfully." Dan shook his head.

"Everyone hates her." He said astutely.

"What? How could you possibly know that?" She said, not believing him for a second.

"Because she's not you." Dan said as if it were obvious. "Your team loves you and they are fiercely loyal. I've gotten threatening messages from at least three of them already." He teased. "They see what this is doing to you and they are trying to protect you from it. Even if they don't want you to know about it." Brennan considered his words carefully. "Hannah may be tolerated on the superficial surface, but no one is truly getting to know her. You can trust me on that." Dan said with a confidence that Brennan couldn't help but find intriguing. She made a mental note to observe the team's dynamics more in the future.

OOOOO

Booth pretended to listen to Daisy's explanation about her reconstruction and what she had found, but they both knew that it meant nothing to him. When she had finished and summed her speech up, he thanked her and watched her fiddling with the bones for a moment.

"So this Dan, he was on the dig with you guys, huh?" He prayed that the question came of casually.

"Yep." She said, not revealing any other information. The uncharacteristic silence put Booth even more on edge.

"And he's a forensic anthropologist too?"

"Uh-huh."

"Do you like him?" Okay, so maybe he was getting a little desperate with that question, but it got her to sigh and look up from her work. "It's just, you seem like you don't want to talk about him."

"Can I be frank?" She asked. Now Booth was completely lost. Since when had Daisy ever needed anyone's permission to be frank?

"Please." He said with a polite, but faked, smile.

"Dr. Brennan and Dr. Powell have a long history together. It is obvious that they are quite close but I have yet to establish if that is due to a shared sexual past or just years of being colleagues. But I can't help but feel like you're asking for personal reasons and _frankly_, I don't think you're in a position to ask those kinds of questions anymore."

Unbelievable! He was getting the freeze out.

From Daisy.

"I was just curious." He said defensively.

"You weren't the least bit curious while we were gone." She muttered under her breath as she turned around for a new tool. Booth stared at her in shock.

"You know what, Daisy? The satellite phone works both ways." He said before picking up his folder and storming out of the room.

"Booth, are you okay?" Cam asked as she watched him march by her office.

"Not now, Cam." He said as he walked right into Brennan's office and slammed the door shut.

"Booth! What's wrong?" Brennan asked as she watched him from her chair, frozen in place with a mix of confusion and fear.

"I'm tired of this." He said as he shut the blinds. "Is there a reason all of your people hate me?" He asked as he finally spun around to face her.

"What?"

"Have I done something or said something that has offended you?"

"No."

"And you like Hannah? I mean, you guys seem friendly enough."

"Hannah's fine."

"Okay, so why is the entire lab walking around like I'm the villain in a comic book?" He asked her. Brennan sighed.

"It's recently been brought to my attention that they're being particularly protective of me lately. I'll talk to them."

"But _why_ are they being protective?" He asked.

"You know why." Brennan said, giving him a knowing look. He fought the urge to look away, but that would have only made him look even guiltier than he already felt. "They're concerned that the center might not hold."

Booth stared at her for a moment, her soft words triggering an onslaught of memories from the coffee cart. They rushed past his ears and blocked out sound as he was transported to another time and place.

"You and I have been through... a lot." She said, bringing him back to the present. "But we've always been through a lot together. You're introducing someone new to the group and they're worried about how that will affect me."

"And should they be worried? That the center won't hold?" Booth asked, hoping that she understood what he was truly asking. Brennan stared at him for a moment before thinking about her answer.

"The dynamics of the group have changed." She said, sidestepping the question. "It's an adjustment and I'm hoping that with time, everyone will relax again. In the meantime, I will remind them to act professionally while in the lab." They both knew it wasn't an answer. He knew it was the most he could ask for and probably the best that she could offer. He got caught in her blue eyes as she gave him a nostalgic look for a moment. The memories in her brain slipped back to reality as a deep sadness came over her features. The new look cut him like a knife. With a curt nod, he left, unable to stay in the office another second longer.

OOOOO

The team's next gathering was at the Founding Fathers for their usual Friday drinks. Booth was solo as Hannah was working late on an assignment but he figured after the week he had with the team, that it was probably just as well. He walked in and found their table, but was surprised to see that Dan was sitting in his usual seat. Brennan was laughing and smiling in a way that made his stomach clench. It had been a long time since he had seen that smile. Not since…

"Booth! Where's your other half?" Hodgins asked. "We haven't seen you alone in a while."

"Working." He smiled as he waved down a beer from the bartender.

"A man out on the town, huh?" Angela smiled as she snuck up behind him. He laughed.

"Something like that."

"Mm, now all we have to do is get rid of Dan and we'll be back to normal." Angela muttered to herself.

"Hmm?" Booth asked, unsure of what she had said in the loud bar.

"Nothing." She smiled a bit too sweetly. Booth knew better but without hearing what she said, simply gave her a questioning look. Angela just patted him on the shoulder supportively and made her way back over towards Brennan.

"So what do you make of this Dr. Powell?" Booth asked Hodgins.

"I don't know him all that well. He does bring out a totally different side of Dr. Brennan though. And I have to admit, I like hearing all of his stories. Why? You jealous?" Hodgins grinned.

"What? No." Booth said, offended by the accusation. He waited a beat as he took in Hodgins reaction. "Should I be?" He asked, suddenly wondering if he was missing something.

"I don't know. I mean, he's the anthropology equivalent of you. They share a history." Hodgins suggestive tone was suddenly making Booth question his previously cocky statement. "I could definitely see why you would be bothered by someone coming in and trying to steal your partner."

"He's not trying to steal my partner. And I'm not jealous." Booth maintained.

"Alright, man, if you say so." Hodgins said as he took another pull of his beer.

OOOOO

A few beers later, Booth found it amusing that at a table full of scientists, he was the only one observing. Then again, she was worth watching. Dan was entertaining the table with stories of when Brennan and he were younger and she was laughing and blushing with every tale. As Booth took another drink, he wondered if he had ever made her blush like that. He couldn't remember any specifics. Then again, he had repressed almost all of her memories during his time in Afghanistan.

Suddenly the music behind them changed and Dan paused, listening to the first few measures with a surprised look in his eye.

"Did you request this?" Brennan accused her old friend.

"Nope!" Dan grinned. "This is just fate stepping in." He said as he stood up and pushed her chair back for her. "And I believe that it is telling us to dance."

"There isn't a dance floor. And I don't believe in fate." She added.

"And I appreciate that but you're dancing with me anyway." Dan said, refusing to take no for an answer.

"You're incorrigible." She said with a tipsy smile. Booth watched as she gave him her hand and he led her out onto the makeshift dance floor. As they began to sway, Booth stared at the jukebox, wondering where he had heard the song before. It took a few moments but he made out that it was Judy Garland. His grandparents used to watch old movies and he vaguely remembered his grandmother playing this song from time to time.

He watched as Brennan comfortably leaned into her partner, letting him lead as he held her fast. There it was, the small twinge of jealousy Hodgins had been expecting from him earlier. He was certain that it was more to do with their closeness than with any love he may feel towards her. He missed that: the comfortable way they had been able to dance, hug, whatever, before his confession on the front steps of the Hoover. But as he sat there watching them, he realized that it had never been comfortable, at least not truly. He was painting over all of the awkward, painful, yearnings that had always come with her presence. He had always felt this way, whether it was wanting someone else to stop touching her or his own secret desire for more after touching her himself. She was always out of reach, always off limits. The only difference was when they were alone, they let the line blur a bit more. They could pretend.

He felt Cam's hand on his, a silent request to dance too. He smiled at her sly grin and stood up. Soon, they were dancing right along with Brennan and Dan. Angela and Hodgins joined in and before anyone realized it, they were all dancing. However, as Booth made eye contact with Brennan over their partners' shoulders, he couldn't help but feel that this wasn't the way it was supposed to be.

OOOOO

Soon, Booth and Cam were the only two left at the bar. He had no reason to hurry home, but he had a hunch that Cam had waited everyone else out so that she could get him alone.

"How you doing, big guy?" Cam asked as she sat down at the bar next to him.

"I'm doing great." He said with a nod towards the bartender to get Cam a drink.

"And Parker?"

"He's great too." Booth said and Cam noticed the lie.

"How's Hannah?" Cam said, wanting to get to the good stuff.

"Hannah is, you know..." Booth caught Cam's incredulous stare.

"Great?" She finished for him. Booth realized that he was doing a really crappy job of lying and he stopped pretending to try. "Uh-huh. Try again. And if you say great one more time, I'm going to take your gun and shoot myself with it. Think of the paperwork, Seeley. Not to mention the dry-cleaning bill." Booth sighed as he laid his forehead on his arm. Cam smiled at the dramatics.

"Parker hates Hannah."

"When did Parker meet Hannah?"

"He hasn't. He was just sitting there and out of the blue he said 'Daddy, I hate your new girlfriend.'" Booth mimicked.

"Did you ask why?"

"No. I was too shocked to respond." Booth admitted. "But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I was getting that vibe from everyone lately." Cam suddenly found the coaster under her drink very interesting. She had to admit, the team had been less than thrilled by the arrival of the journalist. "In Afghanistan, it was just the two of us, you know? It was different. Easier. It never occurred to me that I would have to actually merge the two lifestyles together."

"It's not working?"

"Do you remember Lisa?"

"The accountant?" Cam tried to remember.

"The sorority sister."

"Oh...right. I forgot about her." Cam said with a knowing grin.

"Well this is that... all over again." Booth said. Cam whistled, getting the reference. "When I'm with Hannah, things are good. Really, really good. She brings out a part of me that I thought had disappeared." Booth thought about it. "She makes me feel... alive, but it's that same part of your brain that makes you stupid and irresponsible." Cam nodded. "There's no halfway with her and at first, that was exciting, you know? It felt good to finally fall one hundred percent with someone without any reservations."

"You had nothing to lose." Cam said.

"Exactly." Booth said. "With Rebecca, there was always Parker to think about. With you, well..." They shared a knowing look. "And with Bones, there were a thousand reasons. But with Hannah..."

"I get it." She smiled. "When you're with her, you forget about real life, but you can't forget about real life when you actually have to live it."

"Right." Booth said, happy that he had finally found someone who understood his predicament. "But she's here now and we're living together and I just...I don't know what to do."

"People only say they don't know what to do when they know what to do, but don't want to do it." Cam said before she took a sip of her drink. Booth groaned and drained the rest of his scotch. "Where does Dr. Brennan fit into all of this?" She asked.

"Things aren't...they aren't back to normal just yet." Cam snickered at his vocabulary choice.

"Things between you two have never, in any situation, been normal." Booth frowned, knowing that was probably more accurate than he would like to admit. "Seeley, you two have been dancing around each other in the name of the other person for years. You don't want to push her, she doesn't want to let you down. Stop using the other person as an excuse and just...be. You don't even have to be in a relationship, just see what happens when you stop fighting it."

"I can't do that." He said as he stood up from his stool and picked his lighter and poker chip up off the bar.

"Why not?" Cam wanted to know.

"Because once it's done, it's done. There is no coming back from falling down that rabbit hole." He said, sounding far too logical as he pocketed his talismans and headed for the door.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe you already have?" Cam asked after him but he gave no acknowledgement of hearing her. She watched as he disappeared out the front door and down the sidewalk. She sighed as she looked into her drink. This was going to end badly.

OOOOO

When Booth got home that evening, Hannah was curled up on the couch asleep. He couldn't help the small smirk that tugged at the side of his mouth. She was just so cute when she slept. He didn't want to wake her, but his presence alone was enough to cause her to stir and she opened her eyes.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty." He said.

"Hi." She murmured, closing her eyes for one more second as she got her bearings. "How was your day?"

"Long." He said.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He smiled at her concern.

"Nah, I had drinks with Cam and the team after work. I'm all talked out." He said with a smirk as he moved slowly towards her. She grinned at his subtle suggestion and pulled him down towards her by his tie. He kissed her slowly, letting the stress from his day melt away as she worked her magic on him. Soon, the door to real life slammed shut, leaving them alone at last.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Happy Zombie Jesus Day, Bones fans! Our present from the Easter bunny is a new ep tomorrow! :D **

OOOOO

Dan watched in interest through the glass walls of Brennan's office as she talked to Booth about a case. He knew that his presence in DC was driving Booth mad, but he had to admit, it was sort of fun for him. He hoped that even the threat of pulling Bren away from him, both professionally and personally, would bring the man to his senses. He had known that the pair was made for each other, even before he had met the infamous agent. Everyone did. Yet to witness what they had become recently, it was torture for everyone involved.

"Pretty rough, huh?" Hodgins said as he walked up to Dan.

"Seven years of this?" Dan said.

"There have been better and worse times but yeah. Welcome to our favorite soap opera."

"You've never tried to intervene?"

"Oh God no." Hodgins said as he literally took a step away from the doctor at the suggestion. "Angie has, of course, but I'm not telling Dr. Brennan anything. Not that she would listen if I did."

"That's true." Dan smiled. "But you do take care of her. In your own way. You lot put me through the wringer when I first arrived."

"We do what we can." Hodgins said, the unapologetic and protective tone making Dan smile.

"I'm glad." Dan replied. Hodgins gave him an appraising look.

"You're here to make trouble, aren't you?" The small but curiously proud smile on Hodgins face gave Dan the courage to grin back.

"That wasn't my goal originally. But that doesn't mean I can't multi-task." Dan made his way over to her office door and knocked.

"Hey, back again?" Brennan asked, surprised to see him in the lab.

"Hello, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Dan smiled at Booth.

"No. Don't mind us, we're just discussing a case." Booth said, making his annoyance clear. The tension in the room was palpable and it was clear they were arguing over something.

"Oh, then I won't stay long. I was hoping that I could make you dinner tonight." Dan asked Brennan with a persuasive smile.

"I know that look." She smiled. "Business or pleasure?" Dan took a glance at Booth and switched to French, not wanting to reveal too much.

"_Maybe a little of both. I've got a case I need you to look at." _He said as he waved a closed manila envelope. She reached for it but he pulled it away._ "Plus, I brought your favorite wine with me and we haven't had a chance to drink it yet." _Brennan looked surprised by the change but answered right back.

"_Ancient bodies, dinner, and wine?" _She raised her eyebrow._ "You really are going with the hard sell, aren't you?" _

"_Stop pretending you're not flattered and give me the keys to your place."_ He said as he reached out his hand. She smiled and pulled her keys out of her desk. She slid the key off the ring and this time it was her turn to hold it away from him.

"_Don't think that you're fooling me. I know what you're doing."_ She said.

"You love me for it." He said in English. She flashed him a sly smile.

"Just be thankful that you're charming." She replied dryly.

"I'm just getting started." He promised with a wink. "Agent Booth." He said as he left without even looking Booth in the eye.

"What the hell was that?" Booth asked.

"He's making me dinner." She said with a sigh. "I'm sorry. Where were we?" She asked him.

"Oh." Booth said. "I didn't realize…" He said pointedly.

"Didn't realize what?" She asked him, not sure where he was going with his statement.

"You're really going to pretend there's nothing going on there?" Brennan stared at Booth for a minute. His anger was sincere and it completely took her by surprise.

"Not that it's any of your business, but no, there isn't anything going on there." She answered. "And I don't 'pretend'." She added. "You used to know that about me." Booth stared at her for a moment, his eyes screaming despite his cool and quiet exterior. His jaw was tight and gave a quick twitch, giving him away.

"Fine." He said, although he clearly did not believe her. "I'm going to go see if Sweets has finished a profile yet. I'll call you." And just like that, he was gone.

OOOOO

When Brennan walked into her house, it smelled fantastic. She grinned as she came around the corner and saw Dan putting the final touches on the table.

"Wow." She said, examining the spread. "Did you do all of this?"

"Yes." He said as he pulled out a chair for her. "Have some wine." He said as he handed her his glass. She took it gladly and drank a hearty sip. "Bad day?" He asked.

"I had a fight with Booth. Again." She said.

"My fault?" He said, guessing he was to blame.

"If it wasn't you, it would be something else." She said morosely. Dan frowned at his friend's unhappiness. He reached across the table and slid his envelope her way.

"I know what will cheer you up." He said. She reluctantly smiled and set down the wine. She opened the envelope and laid the photos out on the table.

"Mummies?"

"They just found a new batch yesterday in the Sahara. I'm heading out tomorrow. I want you to come with me." He offered.

"I can't." She said, pushing the photos away.

"Oh come on, Bren. Sweltering heat, sand storms, no technology...It would be a total upgrade from your current situation." She chuckled.

"Even so. I can't leave my team again. The last time…"

"I know, I know." He sighed. She felt his stare and she looked directly at him, waiting for his next comment. "He does love you, you know." He informed her.

"Dan…"

"I'm serious, love. He's going to wake up one morning and realize what he's missing."

"What if he doesn't?"

"He will. The way he looks at you? The way he looks at me? It's only a matter of time." The timer on the oven buzzed and Brennan took another sip of her wine as she tried to ignore the hope that maybe he was right.

"Alright, no more talk about Booth. It's my last night and I'll be damned if we're going to spend it talking about another man." He said as he brought a casserole dish to the table. "Tonight we are going to eat, drink, and be absolutely merry. Deal?"

"Deal." Brennan smiled.

OOOOO

Booth stood overlooking the lab, a coffee in his hand as he waited for his partner to get out of a meeting. He had always liked the view from up here, looking down on the little blue ants below. He fought the urge to sit down on the catwalk and swing his legs over the edge. Instead, he leaned on the railing before turning around to see who had just joined him.

"Oh, hello." Dan smiled. "Waiting on Dr. Brennan too?" He asked as he reached for a coffee cup.

"We've got some case stuff to talk about." Booth said, wondering if the interrogation technique would get him to share his reason for being on the catwalk as well. When Dan didn't respond, Booth tried again. "What about you?"

"Oh, you know, Bren and I had a late night. I always forget how well she holds her alcohol. So I'm here for the free coffee and to say goodbye before I head to the airport." He poured himself a cup of coffee. Booth felt a rushing sense of relief flood his body at Dan's words.

"Leaving so soon?" It was no secret that he would be more than happy to see him go. Dan simply laughed at the question.

"I get why you don't like me, Booth, I do. But I do like you." Dan smiled warmly. Booth stared at the man, wondering where this was about to go. "If I had to lose Bren's talent to anyone, I suppose saving the world with you was as good a reason as any."

"She's still turning you down, huh?" Booth asked as he sat down across the coffee table from him.

"As soon as I walked in here, I knew it was a lost cause." He said. "She's gone domestic." He said with a sigh.

"Domestic?" Booth asked.

"Look at this place. Unlimited resources, one of the best teams in the world, but the kicker was Stanley..."

"Stanley?"

"Her iguana." Dan replied.

"It has a name?"

"It does now." He informed him with an impish grin. "If you could call him that from time to time, preferably in front of Dr. Brennan, I'd be eternally grateful." He smiled. Noting that Booth was still trying to understand how an iguana fit into the equation, he continued. "Let me explain. Anthropologists are nomadic by nature. We move where the digs are. We live out of temporary homes and tents, staying only for a few months at a time and then shuffling off to the next dig. For Brennan to own a pet, even one that she is unwilling to name, represents something larger. She's stuck her flag in and she's not going anywhere." He said confidently.

"So if you know all of this, why do you keep asking her to leave?" Booth asked.

"Originally, I thought that being on my team would remind her of why she fell in love with this field, but it was clear from the beginning that her heart just wasn't in it. Then, about two months in, I learned why. It turns out, her heart was in Afghanistan." Booth was suddenly feeling very claustrophobic, even on the open balcony. "God, you should have seen her face the first time her phone rang." He continued. "It's never a good sign when the emergency phone rings but I thought she was going to pass out. When it turned out to be her editor, she's never looked so relieved. Of course after seeing her panic, I made her sit down and tell me what was really going on. She regaled me with tales about her partner back home and his affinity for being the hero. I knew that I couldn't compete with that, nor would I want to." He smiled. "So, when the phone rang again, I tore up her contract and let her go back where she belonged."

"I don't…" Booth was trying to process this information as quickly as he could but he was still thrown by it.

"Right." Dan said. "To answer your original question: I keep asking her to go because every time I do, she has to think about why she wants to stay. It forces her to give the unknown reasons names. Just like with Stanley." Dan glanced off the balcony and saw that the meeting had ended.

"Wait, so you're saying that you asked her to leave so that she would want to stay?" Booth clarified.

"That and Bren's a stubborn woman. She needs someone to play devil's advocate with her every now and then. Keeps her honest." He smiled a cheeky smile, knowing that Booth knew exactly what he was talking about. "The fact is she loves you, mate. I get why you're worried; she's the most wanted scientist in the world. She gets more lucrative and powerful job offers in a day than you and I will see in our lifetime. But you shouldn't be concerned. She chooses to stay here with you. _Because_ of you." He added.

"Dan?" Brennan called up to him. He gave a wave to let her know that he was on his way down.

"Just think about what I told you." He requested as he set down his coffee cup and stuck out his hand. "It has been a pleasure, Agent Booth. I hope that you and I will meet again." Booth gave a noncommittal nod as he shook Dan's hand. He watched as the anthropologist headed down the stairs and towards a waiting Brennan. Booth chose to stay where he was, paralyzed by the millions of thoughts running through his head. When he felt a stare on him, he glanced down towards the floor again. Brennan was staring at him curiously, her eyebrows slightly furrowed in a way that made his heart skip a beat. He heaved a heavy sigh.

This was going to get messy.

OOOOO

Brennan stared out the window of the SUV, lost in her own thoughts. The air was unusually thick in the vehicle and she knew why. They still hadn't talked about Booth's outburst in her office. Small talk was usually Booth's responsibility, but she figured she would give it a shot.

"How's Parker?" She asked, hoping the topic would stimulate some sort of conversation.

"He's good." Booth said, glancing in his rear view mirror.

"It's his hockey season, right? Is it going successfully?"

"Yeah, he really likes his team this year."

"That's good." She said. Silence fell once more as she contemplated what to try next. "So Dan left this morning."

"Yeah, I, uh, talked to him for a bit while we were waiting for your meeting to end. I hope he wasn't too broken up about getting turned down." She heard the real question under the nonchalant nature of his tone.

"He's probably already forgotten me. He's on his way to Africa. They found some mummies and it's going to be quite an interesting dig." She said, trying to hide the excitement in her voice. Booth finally glanced over at her.

"Do you ever miss it, Bones?" He asked. "Traveling the world, never staying in one place?"

"I used to." She admitted. "While a piece of me will always love ancient remains and all that they entail, I've actually become quite used to our arrangement here. When I was away, I found myself missing it more than I thought I would. I discovered that I now find more satisfaction in our work together." The surprised but pleased look on Booth's face told her that was what he wanted to hear. "Were you really worried that I would take him up on his offer?" She asked.

"No, I just...I don't want to hold you back from your true passion. You should be doing what makes you happy."

"This makes me happy." She assured him. "I would never do something that I didn't find rewarding, Booth. You know that." He visibly relaxed after hearing her statement. "I'm sorry if my actions made you doubt the importance of our partnership." She said. "If it makes you feel any better, if I had known then what I know now, I wouldn't have made the same decision." She told him.

"Really?" He asked, putting the car in park and staring at her.

"The time away, the effect on the team, it wasn't worth the end result. We didn't find anything of importance. Besides, I could have found something to work on here while you were away. Perhaps I could have written another book." She said.

"If you stayed, I would have stayed." He said.

"No, you wouldn't have." She said knowingly. His sense of duty was stronger than almost anything and they both knew it. "Besides, if you hadn't gone, you would have never met Hannah." She managed to say it positively, despite how she actually felt about the situation. There was a long pause as Booth watched the road.

"What if I hadn't?" He asked the forbidden question out loud and it took her breath away. The steely look in his eye told her that he was dead serious. "What if I had come back single?

"Booth..."

"No, answer the question. What would have happened?" She looked out her window, wanting to avoid this conversation at all costs. When she looked at him again, her face showed him all of the things she refused to say out loud. When she was convinced that he got the message, she put her hand on the handle of the car door and turned her expression back to stone.

"You didn't." She said as she opened the door and got out. She left a stunned Booth sitting in his car as she made her way up to her apartment, fury threatening to spill over as she took the stairs. She made it all the way to her door before he caught up with her, his footsteps bounding up the stairs after her. She managed to get her key in the lock before he appeared but he was too quick for her to escape inside.

"Bones!" He called out, trying to simultaneously get her attention and stop her from going inside.

"Go away, Booth." She said curtly.

"No, we need to talk about this."

"I don't want to talk to you at the moment."

"Tough." He said, refusing to move. "You don't get to look at me the way you just did and then walk away. We need to talk."

"Don't you get it? We can't!" She cried, finally losing her temper. Booth instinctively took a step back, not wanting to push her. She realized they were still in the hallway and she lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "We can't." She repeated. They stood there in silence as all the reasons why flooded their minds. "Leave the 'what ifs' alone, Booth. I have enough of my own. I don't need yours too."

"I can't." He confessed quietly. "And believe me, I've tried. But every time, I just keep coming back to the same question: What would have happened, what could happen, if Hannah wasn't in the picture?" She put her hand on her door to steady herself before turning to look at him.

"Why are you doing this?" She asked, her voice begging him to stop the torture he was inflicting. "It's not fair, Booth. It's not fair to me and it's certainly not fair to Hannah." At the reminder of his girlfriend, Booth glanced to the floor. "Go home, Booth. She loves you and she can give you all of the things that I could never promise you."

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked, his head whipping up to stare at her.

"Look at what you want! Forty, fifty years? I can't promise that, especially with you. After everything that we've gone through? Everything that we've survived? How many chances do you think we get? One bad case and..." She stopped, realizing she was rambling. "I need you in my life." She got to her point. "I can't have you be another person who is taken away from me. If this is how I get to keep you then it's enough." She said honestly.

"No. Don't say that. You want more." He stated it as a fact, but it was more of a hope.

"What I want has nothing to do with it. We both know that we would be beautiful together for what, a night? A weekend? We could get lost in each other so easily." She paused as if she were considering the thought. "But eventually, one of us is going to say something, do something, want something…" She looked up at him, the tears being stubbornly held back clouded her vision, but she refused to let them fall. "I refuse to risk the best thing that ever happened to me for a temporary feeling."

"How do you know it's temporary?" He asked quietly.

"Because you've already forgotten it." Booth felt something in his chest crack at her words. "You told me you had to move on and you did. Now you've got to let me do the same." She requested. "Good night, Booth." She walked inside and closed the door.


	4. Chapter 4

OOOOO

Booth drove around for a few hours after he left Brennan's doorstep. He needed to think, to be alone, to analyze what had just happened. Normally, when something bad happened, he tried to ignore it. He would put on a happy face and pretended like everything was fine. He took a random left turn as he remembered the first time anyone had ever called him on it. It was the first time he had been deployed.

_"Will you stop worrying about me?" He had grinned. "Everything is going to be fine!"_

_"Don't do that, Seeley. Not with me." Cam had said, angry at his attempt to gloss everything over with a smile. "I know you better than that. You don't have to pretend with me."_

He remembered the epiphany she had given him in that moment. It had felt as real as a slap in the face. After years of convincing everyone that things _were_ fine, that he was fine, that his family was fine, it was an automatic response that even he wasn't aware of any more. He had mastered the charming exterior when he was still a kid. On three separate occasions, he had been able to stop his teachers from calling the cops simply by smiling and pretending that his marks came from playing in the backyard or falling off his bike. Hell, there were even times when he could convince himself that he was fine.

That he didn't have a gambling problem.

That they were just partners.

That his heart wasn't broken.

That he had moved on.

He scoffed out loud at that last idea, realizing how ridiculous it sounded now. As if he could run far enough, love hard enough to make her disappear from his heart. Love wasn't a zero-sum game and he was stupid for thinking otherwise. It had simply started out as self-defense. He didn't have time to grieve because he had to show up to work with her the next day. So, he convinced himself to simply soldier on. Eventually, he would get over it. He would just have to fake it until he made it.

It wasn't until a few days ago that he realized he had never made it.

He pulled off to the side of whatever road he happened to be on and put the SUV in park as the first of his tears finally came. Alone in the dark, the past year's heartache, denial and confusion mixed together to form a deadly cocktail of emotion. His frustrated jealousy of witnessing Dan's freedom to smile, hold, and even touch his partner, his love for Hannah and the joy that she brought into his life, the finality of Brennan's goodbye in the doorway of her apartment, it all poured out of him in one loud wrack of sobs. He gave himself twenty seconds as he released it all. When his time was up, he wiped the tears from his eyes, took a deep breath and put the car in gear.

Enough was enough.

OOOOO

When Brennan came in to work the next morning, people were staring. She wondered what had happened that would have brought her extra attention, but nothing came to mind. She made it all the way to her office before finding Angela waiting for her on her couch.

"Finally. I've been waiting forever."

"What's going on?" Brennan asked, unsure if she wanted to know.

"You didn't hear?"

"Apparently not." She replied, just the tiniest bit on edge.

"Booth broke up with Hannah." Brennan stopped what she was doing and looked up at Angela. "I know. That's the face I made too."

"What? When? Why?" Brennan had a thousand questions exploding within her brain at once.

"Cam said sometime this weekend, but that's all she knew. Booth called to let her know he was taking a personal day today. I figured you might know something more." Brennan fell silent as she debated how much to share.

"We got into a fight." She admitted quietly.

"About what?" Angela asked. When Brennan didn't respond, Angela's eyes opened wide. "Hannah?"

"He wanted to talk. I told him that given our situation, there was nothing to discuss." She replied as she shuffled through some papers in her mailbox.

"What did he want to talk about?"

"What I thought might have happened if we had never left, or if he had never met Hannah. He was looking for answers that I couldn't give him. We did leave, he did meet Hannah, what else is there to say?"

"That you're in love with him and wish that things had worked out differently." Angela replied, knowing the answer immediately. Brennan sighed, not wanting to hear it. "Sweetie, if you told him that you couldn't talk about it because of Hannah, and he went home and broke up with Hannah, what does that tell you?" She glanced at her watch in avoidance.

"Look, Ange, I'm sorry, but I've got a meeting to get to. I'll talk to you later, okay?" Angela sighed, knowing full well what she really needed to get to.

"Talk to Booth. Please?" She requested before watching Brennan leave.

OOOOO

Booth and Brennan finally crossed paths three days later when Booth called about a case. Cam and Brennan arrived at the crime scene located in a national park just outside of the city. As Booth ran down the little information he knew so far, Cam examined the body.

"A hiker stumbled across our friend here on the path. Fresh, but it looks like the animals got to it."

"He definitely died in the last 48 hours." Cam agreed.

"Man, mid forties, Caucasian. Judging by the teeth marks on the revealed bone, I would estimate that it was a bear and possibly a coyote or a dog that attacked the remains." Brennan said.

"Okay, did they get to him before or after he died?" Booth asked the women with a wince.

"Tissue says after." Cam said. He sighed a little in relief.

"Murder?" Booth asked.

"No immediate signs of attack, but it could have been lost in the scavenging. The work out clothes suggest that he was out here for a run. Did you find a car?" Cam asked as she stood up.

"Not yet. It's a popular place. We're running all the plates in the lot now."

"Alright, do your thing and then I'll do mine." She said with a smile. Booth instructed his techs to bring everything back to the Jeffersonian and Brennan followed him back towards the line of cars parked outside the tree line. He was just about to open his mouth to speak when her cell phone rang. He smiled sheepishly and watched as she reluctantly answered.

"Brennan." She answered. "Oh hello Rebecca." Booth suddenly turned his attention towards the phone at her ear. "Yes. I would love to assist. What time?" She motioned for one of Booth's index cards and his pen. He handed one over to her and she scribbled down the information that she was giving her. "Uh huh. Okay. I will see you then. Yes, goodbye."

"What was that all about?" Booth asked.

"Apparently one of the judges for Parker's science fair has fallen ill and they would like me to replace him."

"You're going to judge a children's science fair?" His incredulous tone was slightly offensive.

"Yes. Why are you saying it like that?" She asked curiously.

"Well, it's just, they are kids, Bones. They're going to be turning potatoes into clocks, creating volcanoes and explaining how rainbows work, it just seems a little, I don't know, beneath your intellect." She stared at him for a moment, remembering that he had just broken up with his girlfriend and that they were still fighting and he was probably lashing out without realizing it, but that didn't mean she had to stand there and take it. Without a word, she turned around and headed back for the Jeffersonian's vehicle to ride back to the city with Cam. She heard Booth's exasperated sigh as he realized he had offended her.

"Bones, where are you going?" He asked. "Don't you need a ride?"

"Cam and I are going to the same place. Logically, I would ride with her." She explained as she walked toward the other van.

"Bones... wait." He said as he caught up to her. "I'm sorry. Will you please just get in the car so we can talk?"

"Talk about what?" She asked, feigning ignorance of his situation. He still hadn't told her that he had broken up with Hannah and she wasn't going to acknowledge that she heard it from others. If he seriously wanted to make things right, he would have to be honest with her.

"I broke up with Hannah." He said a little louder than he would have liked, but no one else around him seemed to notice. He dropped his voice back down to a quiet, private level and continued. "Look, you were right about...well, about a lot of things and when you're ready, I want to talk to you." She didn't respond, unsure of what this meant. "I know that things have been bad between us lately, but that's over now. I promise." She saw how serious he was, how much he meant what he said. "No matter what happens between us, I never want to doubt that the center will hold." He added.

"Dr. Brennan? Are you coming?" Cam asked.

"I've got her." Booth called back, never taking his eyes off of Brennan. He wondered if she would protest the assumption. She gave him a look of annoyance at answering for her but didn't argue. She watched as Cam turned around without a second thought and got in the car. With a sigh, Brennan handed Booth her kit and headed for the passenger side of the car. Booth took a deep breath before throwing the kit in the back and getting into the driver's seat. The last time they had talked in his car, it had ended horribly and the knowledge passed through his brain before he turned over the engine.

"Did you break up with Hannah because of what I said?" Brennan asked, getting to the point. Booth sighed. After six years, he wasn't surprised by anything she said anymore. He had learned a long time ago that it was better to just play along.

"Yes and no." He said. "I'd be lying if I said our conversation had nothing to do with it, but things weren't working out the way that I thought they would."

"What do you mean?" She asked. "You two seemed quite happy together."

"We were." He said. "And if it was just the two of us that would have been fine, but there were other complications."

"Like the team." She said, knowing that was part of it. Booth nodded.

"And Parker." Booth added. Brennan looked surprised but didn't comment. She knew as well as anyone that Parker would have to approve of anyone that Booth was with. "I'm sorry about earlier, by the way." He said. "It's nice that you want to help out. You've always been very good with Parker. That's why he loves you so much." He added. She fell silent as his words touched her. She glanced out the window for a moment to gather her thoughts.

"I'm sorry as well." She meant it. "For everything."

"I know." He nodded. They both thought of their transgressions for a moment.

"What do you want, Booth?" She asked, once again getting straight to the point.

"I want to be able to sit in a car with you without both of us going crazy. I want us to just... be." He said, remembering Cam's suggestion a few weeks before.

"Be what?"

"Ourselves." He said. Brennan waited for him to continue. "I don't want to be "just" your partner anymore but I don't think we're ready for a romantic relationship either. I mean, after all the damage we've done to one another in the past two years, I realize that we're standing on shaky ground here." He said. "We need to get to know each other again, trust each other on a personal level without the constant fear that we're going to mess something up. We need to just be."

"I don't think I understand." She said, honestly lost. "You want a romantic relationship with me, but not yet. But you don't want to be solely partners either..."

"You and I have been living in a black or white zone when it comes to our relationship. We've always looked at it as one or the other: partners or lovers. You said that the FBI won't let us work together if we're together; I constantly worried about what would happen if one of us got careless or emotional in the field. All of those terrifying "what if" scenarios have been running through our minds for years, right? Holding us still?" Brennan nodded shyly, unsure of how much she wanted to reveal. "That is why we've been so scared about screwing this up. All or nothing, one side of the line or the other...it's too much pressure." He said. "So let me start by taking you out for dinner tonight." He requested. "Your choice, on me."

"But it's not a date?" She restated, making sure she understood.

"No, just two old friends, starting fresh." She nodded once, starting to understand but still unsure of how she felt about it. He was right. She had always viewed their relationship as off limits so as not to disrupt their working partnership, which she valued more than any other relationship in her life. She wasn't good at personal relationships, and there was a certain amount of safety in calling him her partner. He had to show up every day when they were partners. He couldn't leave her when things, or she, became difficult. At least that's what she used to think, before his many near-death experiences. It was then that she realized another fear entirely: he could potentially leave her alone permanently.

The first time he had "died", it had destroyed her. She had shut down entirely without him by her side. The memories of her parents leaving mixed with the knowledge that yet another person had died for her unnecessarily and she had felt entirely to blame for her own misery.

The second time, when Booth died mentally, it was almost worse. He was awake, alive and breathing, but his physical presence only mocked her. His charming personality, his knowledge of her, had all disappeared. Selfishly, she had been grateful that she had planned the summer away so that he could recuperate in peace.

And then there was his grand gesture on the Hoover steps, when he had said that he had to move on without her. His statement had killed her in a new way. She had felt as if she had failed him somehow, despite also thinking that it was for the best.

Booth was right. They needed to start over, at least to the best of their abilities.

"Fresh is good." She said, tucking away the bad memories. Booth chuckled at her tone.

"Yeah, fresh is good." He agreed.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I changed the rating of this to M. Not so much for this chapter, but in future chapters. I don't know what I was thinking rating it T to begin with. We all know I can't stay in T-land!**

OOOOO

Their first night alone together in what felt like years had gone very well. They had gone to dinner, shared a few drinks, and taken a cab back to her place. It was still early enough to invite him up for one more drink and so he had paid the cabbie and escorted her upstairs to her apartment.

"I'm glad we did this. I had fun tonight." Booth smiled.

"Me too." She smiled before a look of something else flashed across her countenance. Before he could decipher what it was, she turned to put her key in the door. "Hey." He said, spinning her around. "What is it?"

"Nothing." She said seriously. "It's just..." She paused to gather her thoughts. "A few days ago, I had given up on us ever being this way again."

"What way?" He asked. She assessed her own feelings before continuing.

"Us." She said, unable to come up with another word. "I don't know how to explain it." She apologized for her seemingly vague answer as she opened the door. "I just know that you and I haven't been...close," she chose her word carefully, "like this in a long time. But now after a few hours, it's like that connection never left." She said as she set down her purse.

Her surprise at their fun evening wounded him a bit, but he knew it was justified. He shut the door behind them and when he turned around again, he did something that he swore he wouldn't do tonight. He reached out for her hand and intertwined their fingers.

"That's because it didn't leave." He informed her. She stared at him for a moment before he clarified. "I never forgot, Bones." He said quietly. The look of confusion in her deep blue eyes transitioned to understanding as she remembered her accusation during their fight. "I tried so hard to move on but no matter what I did, no matter how far I ran, you were always with me." He said, his thumb burning circles into her palm. "You know, Pops told me once that all I had to do was listen to my heart and everything would work out." Booth's determination to right this wrong, to fix this, filled him with a quiet confidence. "I promise you that I'm going to listen to it from now on." He assured her. He had meant for that to be the end of it but Brennan was staring at him in a way that was making it hard to breathe. She inched closer, almost imperceptibly, until she was nearly brushing her lips with his. She met his eyes briefly, wondering if he would try to stop this from happening. Instead, he closed his eyes and let her close the distance between them.

As soon as their lips met, they were deepening the kiss. Booth's hands moved of their own accord, one finding its way to her neck as the other held her securely along her back. The kiss lasted a few moments before Brennan pulled away. He nearly laughed at the surprised look on her face as she realized how little control she actually had over her own actions.

He could relate.

"I'm sorry." She said, a shaky hand coming to rest over her swollen lips.

"Don't be." Booth said honestly. She turned around, clearly ashamed of her lack of control. Booth smiled at the action and pulled her back around by her elbow.

"We're supposed to be taking things slow." She reminded him as she finally looked him in the eye again.

"Bones." He shushed her. "I said I wanted to see what would happen if you and I spent time together, let the chips fall where they may. If this is what happens, I'm not complaining." He said.

"You were the one who said that we weren't ready for a relationship." She reminded him as she collapsed on the couch, a hand thrown dramatically over her eyes.

"What does a relationship have to do with it?" He smiled, only half-kidding. She looked up at him, watching him watch her from a few feet away. She moved over, silently inviting him to sit down next to her.

"This is never going to be easy, is it?" She muttered as he sat down on the couch.

"Us? No. I don't think easy is in our vocabulary." He replied honestly. She rested her head on his shoulder and the action was all at once achingly familiar and so long forgotten that Booth froze for a moment, paralyzed by the thoughts racing through his mind.

This was _his_ Bones. This is what he had been longing to find ever since he had returned. This was the normalcy that she thought they would never have again. It tugged on his heart and he knew what he had to say.

"Hey Bones?" He said.

"Hmm?" She asked, never moving her head from his shoulder.

"I missed you." She smiled and lifted her head off his shoulder. His words were true, but he knew that his tone gave away more than his simple sentence suggested.

"I missed you too." She replied. He wondered if she coded it the same way that he did. They got caught up in each other's gaze for a moment and everything around him went a bit hazy. Realizing that he was staring at her, he cleared his throat.

"Good. Because I want to, you know, be honest and everything. Get everything out on the table." He said, trying to make it sound less like what it actually was.

"I know." She told him. Again, he was unsure if there was a double meaning behind her words.

"You do? Good. That's good because communication is, you know, it's important." He said, unable to stop the words flying out of his mouth. God, he was a wreck tonight. Judging by the smirk on her face, she clearly thought that his nervous babbling was amusing. "You think this is funny, don't you?" He said, totally coming clean about his nerves.

"A little, yes." She laughed. God, he wanted to kiss the smirk right off of her face. She must have read his mind because she leaned in a little closer. The tease. "It's not very often that you get nervous. It's sort of your tell, as you would call it."

"My tell?" He asked, intrigued.

"That you're thinking about sex." She explained.

"I wasn't…" Booth felt his face flush. He couldn't even say the words. She just waited him out, her knowing smile growing by the minute. "And even if I was, you were the one who was just freaking out because you kissed me."

"That was only because I thought you didn't want to. But then you told me it was okay because we were just going to see what happened." She argued. "I do want to kiss you." She informed him.

"You do?" He asked, a stupefied grin on his face. Brennan nodded slowly, a sly smile planted on her face as well. "Well then, what are you waiting for?" He asked her as he closed the distance between them again.

Booth knew that they struggled with timing. It was their biggest issue in their personal lives, but when they finally found each other on equal ground, their connection obliterated timing right out of the water. A few short hours ago, he had been prepping himself for taking things slow and keeping himself in control.

Now?

Now, kissing her was as easy and as natural as breathing, or maybe years of imagining had just prepared him for this moment. Either way, their bodies automatically synced as his hand moved to her hip and hers came to rest over his racing heart. When breathing was an absolute necessity, Brennan pulled away long enough to slide his t-shirt up and over his head. She gave him a sultry look that told him she appreciated what she saw before stepping out of her own skirt and blouse. Booth stood there for a moment, letting his eyes greedily graze over her body as she walked towards him. She left a trail of kisses down his neck and onto his chest before she stopped. Her silent message was clear. She was giving him a choice. If he wanted to back out, now was his chance. He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her body. She may have given him a choice, but they both knew there was only one answer.

OOOOO

Brennan smiled as she felt his soft kiss on her shoulder blade. Her hair had been pushed off her shoulder and he was exploring the exposed skin with his warm, wet, mouth. While their first sexual encounter together had been perfect, after six years, neither one had been willing to take their time. Now, it seemed that Booth was set on making up for that loss. She turned onto her stomach and looked at him.

"Hi." He said with a dopey grin on his face.

"Hi." She said, still drowsy but truly relaxed for the first time in years. "Having fun?" She asked.

"Mm." He pressed his smile into her elbow before sliding in closer to kiss her good morning.

God, she could get used to that greeting every morning.

She sighed in pleasure as he pulled away. The sheet that was covering her fell to her waist when she moved and she watched his mesmerized face as his fingers brushed up and down the exposed skin of her lower back.

"Do you remember that backless green dress that you wore to the Jeffersonian fundraiser a couple years ago?" He asked. She smiled and nodded. "I cut in to save you from whoever you were dancing with and my hand was resting right here." He recreated the moment. "The feeling of your bare skin on my palm…" he shook his head. "It haunted me for months after that." He confessed with a soft caress. She stared at him, surprised by the honesty. She decided to take a chance.

"Do you remember when I undressed you at the lab?" She asked, a small smirk creeping onto her face.

"Oh God." Booth said as he closed his eyes. "How could I forget?"

"I would dream about it, getting to undress you." She smiled. "Running my hands over your chest and shoulders." She felt her breasts beginning to ache at just the memory of the fantasies she had concocted for herself and she subconsciously rubbed them against the sheets beneath her.

"Mmm, I like these stories. Tell me more." Booth smiled as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her over to his side of the bed. She let out a surprised shriek before settling in to her new position on top of him.

"What do you want to know?" She asked. His hands stayed on her waist as his hips jutted forward and she moaned a little as the rock hard morning erection he was sporting rubbed enticingly against her.

"Everything." He said honestly. "Tell me all the things you've never told me." He said. The mood in the room instantly turned from playful to serious as she recalled how much she had left unsaid. Her smile fell away and Booth saw the change in her reaction immediately. He tried to open his mouth to take it back but it was too late. "Bones, I didn't…" Brennan held up her hand, cutting him off.

"It's fine." She said, rubbing her hands over his shoulders and down to his chest. "Just…not yet, okay?" Booth nodded but remained silent. "Thank you." She smiled and kissed him her gratitude. When she pulled away, there was something in his eyes she hadn't seen before and it took her a moment to analyze what it was.

It was reality.

In the light of day, it was harder to forget that only a few short weeks ago, he was in this same position with someone else. She had been forcing smiles and pretending she was happy for him, but his actions had hurt her deeply and that wasn't something that she could ignore. She needed time, no matter how she felt about him.

"Hey, tell you what, why don't we shower and then I'll take you to breakfast." He suggested, changing the subject. "It's Saturday, the diner has great pancakes on Saturday." One look at his hopeful face and she couldn't help but smile.

"I'd like that." She said. "And breakfast wouldn't be bad either." She smirked, proud of her joke. Booth laughed before flipping her over and attacking her neck with kisses.

Oh yes, she could absolutely get used to this.


	6. Chapter 6

OOOOO

"Hey, I got that partial print." Booth said as he walked into her office. "Ange is running... Whoa." She was standing there in a soaking wet blouse dabbing at her shirt with a paper towel and he suddenly couldn't think about anything but their weekend. Brennan sent him a glare that told him he wasn't helping. "What happened?" He asked.

"Hodgins." She said, refusing to go into detail. "What were you saying about the partial?" He couldn't remember. Her lace bra was visible through the wet material and he…

"Booth?" She asked. He cleared his throat and pulled himself together.

"Right. Um, Angela is running the partial print we got off the victim." He said, trying to focus.

"Why are you staring at your feet like that?" Brennan asked as she put a new lab coat on.

"Bones, this might surprise someone like you who can compartmentalize so well, but after everything that's happened lately, a wet t-shirt contest from you isn't exactly conducive to me working on this case." He admitted.

"Well that's true. I have no trouble completely ignoring our sexual history while in the lab." She said as she finished buttoning her coat.

_Challenge accepted. _Booth thought as he smirked at her words.

"We have a sexual history." He repeated with glee. Brennan rolled her eyes. The concept was still a little hard for Booth to grasp and coming to the lab hadn't helped at all. Office Brennan and Bedroom Brennan were two very different people and it was hard to believe that this professional woman standing before him was the same woman who had been giggling naked underneath him all weekend long.

"Speaking of, what are you doing later?" He asked, laying on the charm.

"I don't have any plans." She replied. "Why?"

"I was thinking we could spend tonight at my place. I could make you dinner." He offered.

"Dinner sounds fine." She said distractedly, not paying any attention to his obvious charm. Booth smiled. It was good to know that she was still the same old Bones.

"Great, then stop by when you get off work." He told her.

"I will." She replied as Booth left her office in a much better mood than when he entered it.

"Hodgins." He greeted the scientist on his way out. "Remind me to buy you a beer."

"Um, okay?" Hodgins said, unsure of why the agent was acting so unusual. "What was that about?" He asked Angela.

"There is only one reason a man who just broke up with his girlfriend would be smiling like that." Angela said with a knowing look. Hodgins searched his brain for what she meant before his eyes widened and he glanced back at Brennan's office.

"No!" He waited a beat. "You think?"

"We'll find out." Angela said as she headed for Brennan's office. She saw that her friend was on her computer so she stood in the doorway and waited. "Knock, knock."

"Hey. Do you have a match for the print?" Brennan asked.

"Not yet. I just wanted to stop by and talk. See how you were, catch up." Angela smiled. Brennan looked at her friend suspiciously for a moment.

"What do you know?" Brennan asked.

"So there _is_ something to know?" Angela squealed. "Tell me everything." Brennan let a small smile grace her lips before she glanced out the window.

"Shut the door." She requested. Angela turned around quickly. In fact, she was certain she had never locked a door so fast in her life.

"Okay, spill!" She commanded as Brennan's smile grew wider.

OOOOO

Brennan knocked on Booth's door later that evening. It was a bit of a tradition that if one of them made dinner, then the other brought the drinks. It had been a long time since he had made dinner for her, but she brought a bottle of wine anyway.

"Hey." He smiled widely as he opened the door. "Come on in."

"I brought wine." She waved the bottle at him.

"Great." He smiled as he took the bottle from her. "I'll get some glasses." He said as he went in search of a cork screw. Brennan hung up her coat and headed into the kitchen. She stayed quiet until Booth handed her a glass. "How was your day after I left? Any more of Hodgins' experiments go wrong?" He asked as he continued chopping the vegetables for the salad.

"No." She said with a chuckle. "I talked to Angela." She said casually before taking a sip of her wine. Despite the nonchalant way she made the statement, Booth still heard the confession in her words.

"Oh?" He paused and looked at her.

"Yeah."

"And what did you tell her?" He asked as he went back to chopping, not wanting to make eye contact while they had this discussion.

"That we spent the weekend together." She said with a shrug as she stole a piece of carrot.

"I'm sure she loved that."

"She said something about her heart exploding with happiness, but Angela is very hyperbolic." She informed him. He chuckled at her and pointed towards the fridge.

"Grab the dressing?" He requested as he finished throwing everything in the bowl. "So, I guess if Ange knows then the word is out now, huh?" He said as he set the bowl on the table.

"She promised to keep it a secret." Brennan said as she opened the fridge. "I told her that we were taking things slow."

"Yeah but this is Angela we're talking about. I mean, do you really think she can do that?"

"She knows that this is important. She doesn't want you to get fired."

"Whoa, hold up. Fired?" Booth asked, wanting some clarification.

"Well, given the choice between the two of us, the FBI would obviously pick me. I'm irreplaceable." She said. Booth scoffed at her. "That's why you abused your governmental powers and trapped me in the airport for the Cleo Eller case. You need me." She informed him. Booth smiled at her choice of words.

"Bones, you have no idea." He assured her. "That being said, they would be crazy to split us up. We're the best team in the country."

"How do you know that?" She inquired.

"I just know, okay Bones? Trust me. Now eat your salad." He said as he handed her a bowl.

OOOOO

As the movie came to the end, Booth reached around her for the remote.

"Are you going to stay tonight?" He asked with a yawn from their position on the couch.

"Mmm, yeah. I'll stay." She muttered groggily. She was so comfortable but she knew she wouldn't make it all night on the couch, especially in her current clothes. "Do you have something I can wear to bed?" She asked as she sat up.

"No." Booth said grimly before the smile broke out over his face. She gave him a knowing look.

"I suppose I deserved that." She replied.

"I had to try." He grinned. "But if you insist on being clothed then come on, we'll see what we can find." He said as he stood up and reached out for her hand. She followed him into his bedroom, a room she had only really seen a few times. They had maintained an unwritten rule throughout their partnership that bedrooms were usually off-limits. They had enough tension between them without adding to it.

"What's your preference? Sweatshirt? T-shirt?" He asked as he headed for the dresser and yanked open a drawer.

"Sweatshirt." She said as she watched him rifle through the piles in drawer. He handed her a sweatshirt and headed for the closet. Brennan watched as he pulled open the door and saw that half of the closet was full of empty hangers.

"How about these?" He asked as he handed her a pair of sweatpants. "They'll be big, but they've got a drawstring at least."

"I'm sure they'll be fine." She said. "Help yourself to something else if they don't work." He waved. "I'm going to hop in the shower."

"Okay." She set the clothes down on his bed and looked around for a moment, taking the opportunity to analyze the room without his presence. She had always liked this room. It was very Boothy, with classic dark furniture and photos on the walls. It reminded her of his office. She changed quickly and noticed that he left the bathroom door open. She headed in and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was matted and she quickly ran her fingers through it.

"Bones?" Booth called out as he realized he wasn't alone.

"Yeah." She called back.

"There's a new toothbrush on the counter for you." She smiled at his thoughtfulness.

"Toothpaste?" She requested.

"In the cabinet." He replied loudly, trying to overcompensate for the loud rush of the shower. His voice echoed against the tile of the shower as she opened the medicine cabinet.

"Floss?"

"Check the drawer." Brennan pulled open the drawer. Inside, she found a small black bag and opened it. Brennan rummaged though through it, examining the last vestiges of a bottle of hotel shampoo, a half-used lipstick tube, and some mascara before closing the bag again. It had obviously been left behind in Hannah's haste to leave the apartment. She sighed and glanced towards the shower curtain. She shoved the bag back in the drawer before reaching for Booth's toothpaste. She finished brushing her teeth quickly, wanting to escape the bathroom as fast as she could.

She heard him turn off the water and grab a towel as she made her way back into his bedroom. She glanced once more at the empty section of his closet before turning her attention to his bed. Suddenly, she felt the ghost of Hannah's presence everywhere she turned. After all, it was only a few, short weeks ago that Hannah had been the one sleeping in his bed, using his toothpaste, and wearing his shirts to bed. She felt his eyes on her before she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Whatcha staring at?" He asked from behind her.

"Your bed." She replied.

"Mm, I like the sound of that." He said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Booth, don't." She said as she pulled away and crossed to the other side of the room. The confused look on his face made her feel even worse.

"Bones, what's wrong?" She looked down at the floor before crossing her arms. She needed to focus. She couldn't be thinking about the way his arms felt around her right now.

"I've been avoiding this. I didn't want to…" She stopped. "Are you still in love with Hannah?" Booth looked shell-shocked by the question.

"What? Where is that question coming from?" He asked her.

"This apartment." Booth sighed at her answer. "The half-empty drawers, the make-up bag in the bathroom, the empty hangers in the closet?" She said. "Just the thought of sharing that bed with you…" She felt sick to her stomach. Booth closed his eyes as she continued. "I thought I could do this. I wanted to do this, but being here..." She paused. "She _lived_ with you. You were together for almost a year. That means something. I can't pretend it didn't."

"Bones." He sounded desperate and it reminded her of the Hoover steps. "Don't do this."

"Don't do what?" She asked. "Remember that two weeks ago, you were sleeping with your girlfriend in this very bed as you told her that you loved her? Because I can't forget that, Booth. I know that you said that it's different between us but honestly? I don't see how." She headed for the entry way and Booth followed close behind.

"Bones, where are you going?" He asked. "Damn it, will you stop walking away from this?" She spun around.

"Me?" She cried, suddenly enraged at his accusation. "You told me that you _knew_, Booth." The hurt in her words cut through the air like a knife. "And for a split second, standing on those steps, I almost let myself believe you." She told him. "But you know what? I knew something too. I _knew_ that you were just being impulsive. You had never even suggested that you wanted a relationship with me before that moment. How could you expect me to say yes?" She asked. "So yes, I walked away, Booth, but let me ask you this: was it the wrong decision? Because the way I see it, you were either lying to me and I was right not to trust you, or you were lying to Hannah for the better part of a year." He refused to answer her question so she nodded, assuming she was right. "That's what I thought." She turned around and walked out of the apartment, letting the door slam on the way out.

OOOOO

For a second, he thought about chasing after her but he was too angry. Instead, he chose to punch the nearest wall, its only crime being within the vicinity of his rage.

He hated her for bringing up Hannah.

He hated her walking out.

But most of all, he hated that she had a point.

He had asked her for so much and then immediately turned around and proved her belief in fleeting emotions right. And no matter what she had said that night, he had known at the time that she loved him. That was why it had been so painful. He knew that her refusal was in spite her love for him.

_Because _of her love for him.

The thought had never occurred to him before, but it made sense. She didn't turn him down that night because she was worried about her job, or because she didn't love him; she turned him down because she _did_ love him.

She thought that he wasn't ready because he had never given her any evidence to the contrary.

God, he was an idiot.

He grabbed his keys and jumped into the nearest pair of shoes. He looked ridiculous wearing only a pair of pajama pants and tennis shoes but it was the fastest way to get out of the house. He made it down the stairs and out the back door before stopping dead in his tracks. She was sitting on the curb, her skinny knees nearly at her chin as she cried silently in the dark.

"Bones." He whispered, unsure of why she was sitting there.

"I forgot my purse." She said. "It has my keys, my phone..." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I couldn't leave but I couldn't bring myself to go back." Booth sighed and sat down beside her. He wanted desperately to wrap his arms around her but he knew she wasn't ready for that so he settled for brushing shoulders with her.

"I didn't know that was why you turned me down." He started. Brennan sniffed once but remained silent. "At the time, I thought that maybe you were scared or that you thought I wasn't trustworthy..." He looked at her tear stained face and hated himself. "You looked right at me and you told me that you weren't a gambler, that you were a scientist and you didn't know how to change." Her face crumpled at hearing her words all over again. "I thought that you were saying that you could never change." He admitted. "But you were just asking me for evidence, weren't you? Something concrete to hold onto, to prove that I meant what I said?"

"When you said that I was right, I felt… relieved," she said, tears still flowing. "I thought that you understood. But then you said you had to move on, find someone who would love you." The words cracked as they escaped her lips, even now. "You thought that I didn't love you." She broke down.

"No." He said. "I knew that you loved me. I meant that I had to find someone who was willing to be with me. You had just told me that you weren't."

"I was just so thrown. For five years, we had agreed that we couldn't be together, for a thousand reasons. Then suddenly, you were asking for everything to change, damn the consequences, with nothing to prove that it was worth the risk." She said. "And with your next breath, you were telling me that you had to move on." Booth winced, he had never seen it from her perspective until tonight and now he felt like an idiot for not realizing her side of the story sooner. "I didn't understand your thinking in that moment, but there was a part of me that thought, no matter what the reasoning behind it, that it was for the best. I wanted to keep working with you and a relationship would complicate, maybe even endanger that, so I didn't argue." She said. "I just wanted to pretend the whole thing never happened."

"We had that in common." He said bitterly.

"I thought that we had gotten passed it." She said. "Until I got to Indonesia and I realized what I had lost, how much I missed you." She started to tear up again and Booth rubbed her back, unable to not comfort her. She didn't pull away. "The time away was good for me and gave me some perspective. Dan told me that I had to be honest with how I felt and I planned on doing it when we met again." She said. "But before I could, you told me about Hannah and how serious things were between you two. I realized that you hadn't shared my epiphany at all. You had actually moved on, just like you said you would."

"But I didn't." He said. "I threw myself into a relationship with Hannah because I was devastated that it didn't work out between us. I needed someone and she was there and willing, and yes, looking back on it, I hate myself for using her like that." He admitted. "But I refuse to apologize for that relationship because it taught me what I needed to know." Brennan looked at him, waiting for him to explain. "Bones, she wasn't you." He explained. "Hannah was _my_ Maluku." He told her. "My epiphany just came later than yours." He explained. Brennan sighed and stared at him, visibly torn between wanting to believe him and wanting to stick to the convictions she had held for so long. "Look, I know that you need evidence and I know that only time can rebuild the trust that we lost, but start with this: I'm not chasing after Hannah. I'm not sitting next to her on the curb behind my apartment, half-naked in the middle of the night. I'm fighting for this because I believe in us." He told her.

"You do?" She said and he could tell that she was just trying to buy some time to make her decision.

"Yep, so I'm not going anywhere." He said defiantly. "You can think about it if you need more time but no matter what you decide, I'll be here." He promised. "Whether if it's in five minutes or five years." He watched as she rubbed her tear stained face with her hand.

"Okay." She said. Booth stopped just short of blurting out her usual line of 'I don't know what that means'. She must have seen his mixed look of restrained hope and confusion because she explained. "It's late. We have work tomorrow." She said as she stood up. "We'll talk about it later. Right now I just want to go to bed." She said, sounding emotionally exhausted.

"Deal." He accepted the nebulous answer immediately, grateful for any chance that she might give him. He had meant what he said. He was going to be there to give her all the evidence she could ever want or need.

Even if it meant he had to start tomorrow. 


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey y'all. If you have read Sunsetdreamer's latest piece, (which you must do because if you don't have her on author alert, we can't be friends anymore) you will be under the impression that I'm about to jump the Bones fandom ship. This is an erroneous lie fueled by her raging paranoia. I have never said that I'm leaving the fandom. I have never even suggested that I'm_thinking_about leaving the fandom. In fact, I plan on going down with this ship, lack of readers, and all. However, don't tell her this because it seems to have ignited some sort of panicked rage that has her muse all a flutter and we are ALL better off for it. So, I am willing to take one for the entire international fanfic community and be the poster child for the massive fandom exodus if it means I get more fic from her. That's a fair trade in anyone's book. Now go play her new game and bring some life back to the fic world!

That being said: my world is about to turn upside down. In the next month, I am flying to interview for a job, taking my final exams, graduating from grad school, turning 25, and moving across the country. Needless to say, there may be a lull in my updating. This lull is disastrously timed with Sunsetdreamer's riot (or maybe she planned it this way from the start) but I don't want people associating the two. So I repeat: I AM NOT LEAVING! And y'all can't make me. End of story.

OOOOO

When Brennan woke up, it was with extreme reluctance. The alarm was beeping behind her and she felt Booth stirring to turn it off. However, he immediately returned his arms to her waist, holding her tightly against his chest. She very distinctly remembered going to sleep on opposite sides of the bed. Booth laid flat on his back and she preferred to lie on her side facing the wall. Sometime in the night, his arms had reached out and pulled her closer to him. They were now intertwined in the best way, but Brennan was aware that there was still a barrier between them, one last wall she didn't quite know how to tear down.

"We gotta get up, Bones." He whispered drowsily against her hair.

"Mmm, you first." She mumbled. Booth let out a small rumble of laughter at her bossiness and she felt his warm chest vibrating against her back. The bed that had seemed so hostile towards her the night before was now a place of warm comfort and she didn't want to move. She knew exactly what, or rather who, was to blame for the change in the environment but the quick transition of her feelings was still surprising to her. It wasn't like her to change her opinion so suddenly.

"The coffee should be ready by now. I'll go pour us some." He said as he sat up and stretched, a series of cracks and groans emanating from his body. She turned onto her back and stared at him. "What?" He asked.

"Is your body always this stiff in the morning?" She inquired, her inner scientist refusing to be contained.

"After spending the night with a gorgeous woman like you? Yes." Booth replied cockily and Brennan rolled her eyes at her unintentional double entendre.

"I meant your bones. Do they always crack like that? Are your muscles sore?" She sat up and awaited his responses but he only groaned.

"How did we go from morning sex jokes to me being a set of ancient remains for you to analyze?" He wanted to know.

"I was just curious."

"Yeah, Bones. I'm old. I've put my body through hell and it feels like it some days. Not every day, but some days." He defended himself. "Why?"

"Remind me to show you Thai massage later." She requested.

"You're not going to stick any needles in me, are you?" He asked, seriously concerned.

"Why would I do that?"

"Just checking. You can rub your hands all over me, but I draw the line at jabbing me with needles."

"Noted." She said. She watched as he hobbled to the kitchen to get their coffee and she got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She took a deep breath as she examined her reflection. Her hair was a mess and her eyes were still a bit red from all of the crying she had done the night before. She changed back into her own clothes, washed her face and combed her hair. When she had done damage control, she made her way out to the kitchen.

"Here you go." Booth smiled as he handed her a cup of coffee.

"Thanks." She replied as she took a long sip. She closed her eyes and hummed in delight as the caffeine hit her bloodstream. When she opened them again, Booth was watching her. "What?" She said, stealing his question and tone from earlier.

"You're adorable." He shrugged as he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. She frowned, clearly disagreeing with his assessment of her current state.

"Drink more of your coffee." She instructed. He shook his head, knowing he was right. Brennan was surprised by his confidence. For the first time in years, she believed in what he was saying. "I'm taking this to go." She informed him. "I'll return the cup later."

"For our Thai massage lesson, right?"

"Sure." She answered. "Are you stopping by the lab today?" She asked as she packed up her stuff.

"Yeah, Angela should have the prints identified by now so I'm sure I'll be around sometime." Booth answered. "Why?"

"I was thinking we could get lunch on the Mall, maybe talk." Booth's face turned grave almost instantly, as if he had completely forgotten their fight.

"Yeah." He said. "Just text me and let me know what time to pick you up."

"I think one will work, but I'll double check when I get to the lab." She said. He nodded. She wasn't quite sure how to say goodbye without the awkward tension that was quickly enveloping them so she leaned in and kissed the top of his head, burying her kiss in his messy morning hair. "I'll see you later."

"Bye." The cute, little boy smile that was gracing his lips told her that she had chosen correctly and she left his apartment feeling a bit cocky herself.

OOOOO

Booth went about his morning as professionally as he could, but his looming lunch date with Brennan was occupying over ninety percent of his attention. He had covered all of their conversation the night before and the way she looked and acted this morning. He had created a list in his mind of all the reasons he shouldn't worry.

1. She stayed the night

Yes, she could have been too tired or maybe she didn't want to take the blame for leaving and she was just slow-playing him, but he really believed that meant something.

2. She hadn't wanted to get out of bed this morning.

Let's be honest, neither had he. It felt so secure, so content, to be wrapped up in blankets and each other. Once again, she might have just been tired, but he hoped that he was right about her reasoning behind this one.

3. She had made plans.

Well, okay, maybe returning a coffee mug wasn't 'a plan' per say, but it did require them meeting again. Of course, they did work together, so she saw him almost every day anyway. But she had also talked about Thai massage. That _definitely _counted as a future plan. If she were planning on leaving, she wouldn't be volunteering to give him a massage later, right?

4. She had kissed him goodbye.

This was the kicker. The simple action had been heartfelt and sweet and it still made his heart stop hours later. He made up his mind. All of her actions pointed towards one final decision.

She was going to stay.

Now he just had to wait for her confirmation.

The closer the clock got to one, the more glances he gave his phone. Finally at 12:30, he had enough. He picked up the phone to call her.

"Brennan." She barked into her phone.

"Hey Bones, it's me."

"Oh, Booth. Hi." Her voice instantly softened but he could tell that she was stressed.

"Bad day?" He asked.

"Something like that. You're calling about lunch, aren't you?"

"Yes." He said as he heard her correcting someone sternly. "But you sound busy so we can just reschedule if you want."

"Oh, are you sure? I could probably...No, not there!" Booth chuckled in sympathy for the poor intern.

"Bones. It's fine. Call me when you get a chance."

"Are you sure?" Her reluctance to cancel made Booth even more certain of his decision.

"Yes. Go teach. And remember to try and be patient on the poor soul. It's not their fault they aren't a genius like you." Booth was certain he heard her smile.

"I'll try. Thanks, Booth." She added.

"Take care."

OOOOO

When they finally met later that evening, Booth's nerves hadn't left him at all. But he showed up on her doorstep, ready for anything. After all, what other choice did he have?

"Hi." She greeted him with a smile. "What's wrong, you look….something." She said as he walked in.

"I'm just wondering how this is going to go." He said honestly.

"You're worried." She stated as she finally catalogued his emotion as fear. His silence spoke for him. "You shouldn't be." He stopped and stared at her, his eyes raking hers for some sign that she meant it.

"Booth, I know your medical history, I've examined your x-rays, I know your bones and muscles better than you do. And if all of that science doesn't convince you, remember your belief that I have magic knuckles." Booth had to chuckle. She knew him alright. "Now go lay down on your back over there." She said as she pointed to a yoga mat she had prepared. He did as he was told and she knelt down beside him.

"So how does this work?" He asked as he stared at her ceiling.

"Pressure points." She said as she adjusted everything to make sure that he was comfortable. "Put your calf on my shoulder."

"What?"

"Booth." She groaned at his uncooperative nature.

"Fine." He said as he raised his leg. He watched in interest as her squinty face appeared. She looked so serious as she felt her way down his calf to his knee that he nearly started laughing. When her cursory examination was over, she began massaging his thigh. Booth wondered what rubbing his thigh was going to do for his back but almost instantly, he felt his muscles beginning to loosen. "Huh." He said as he relaxed.

"Feel that?" She asked.

"Mmhm." He said. Her hands moved lower down his thigh.

"Your skeletal system has been damaged so the muscles aren't going to stay where they are supposed to for very long but this should assist in the pain for a while." When she finished with his thigh, she moved to the next. Sure enough, the other half of his back melted into the floor.

"Magic." He muttered, half asleep.

"Science." She replied, unable to resist correcting him. "I'm going to take off your socks and work on your feet now." Booth's relaxed state immediately disappeared at her statement. Pressure points on his feet? That wasn't happening.

"Bones, you don't have to do that. That, that back stuff was more than enough." Brennan stared at him, mentally debating if she should fight him on this or not. He hoped that she would give him this one.

"It's okay. I know." She informed him, her tone comforting and understanding. "I'll be careful. Just relax." She reassured him, never mentioning the reason his feet were so delicate. He looked unsure for a moment but her next words sealed his fate. "I would never do anything that I thought might hurt you, Booth." This time, he was certain she meant for the sentence to have a double meaning. Booth took a deep breath.

God certainly knew how to test a man.

But Booth knew that if he wanted to rebuild the trust between them, this was the first step. He nodded once and Brennan moved so that she sat perpendicular to him. He watched as she laid his feet carefully in her lap but then he had to close his eyes. He waited for the inevitable pain that he had come to associate with his damaged feet.

Her touch started softly as she ran the pad of her finger over the skin on the top and bottom of his feet. He realized what she was doing almost immediately but he still couldn't believe it. He opened one eye.

"Are you x-raying my feet with your fingers?" He asked, only half-surprised with the notion that she could even do such a thing.

"I'm not x-raying anything, but yes, I suppose the idea is correct in theory. I'm feeling what I'm working with and forming a visual in my mind." She answered.

It was official: he was never going to stop being surprised by her talents.

She began applying pressure slowly: gingerly in certain areas, harder in others and Booth kept waiting for her to hit the rough patch that would send him flying in pain.

It never came.

In fact, it felt good.

_Really_good.

When he finally let himself relax and enjoy what she was doing, he found that it was over too quickly. She lowered his feet back to the floor and smiled as he opened his eyes.

"How do you feel?" She asked.

"Like I just had the best sex of my life." He said languidly as he looked up at her. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"I have a doctorate in Kinesiology." She reminded him. "While doing my research, I studied with a variety of rehabilitation clinics." Booth sat up in awe. No wonder he had never gotten over her; she truly was one of a kind in every way.

"You are, without a doubt, _the _most remarkable person I have ever met." He said, meaning every word. He watched as she glanced down at the floor, uncomfortable with the statement. "I'm serious, Bones. You're amazing. In every way." He added.

"You are too." She complimented him. "Except maybe in the sciences." She smiled, lightening the heavy feeling in the room.

"Did you just tell a joke?" He smiled.

"Well, I _am_amazing in every way." She reminded him.

"Hey, if we're pointing out flaws, you're not real good with the cultural references." He said, taking his statement back.

"I have three doctorates and knuckles with supposed supernatural capabilities and you're upset that I don't know when you're quoting a movie?"

"I'm just saying that you're deprived."

"Mm, maybe, but that's why I have you to teach me. You'll find that I'm an excellent student." She said. Her words affected him in a way he wasn't expecting. The smartest woman in the world was sitting next to him asking him to teach her.

She was amazing.

"Come here." Booth smiled as he motioned her closer with his head. Brennan happily moved closer, anticipating why he wanted her near. He kissed her softly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She replied. She looked at him for a moment, a serious look encroaching in her eyes.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I meant what I said earlier." She told him. Booth furrowed his eyebrows, unsure of what she was saying. "I would never intentionally hurt you." He sighed and nodded.

"I know. Me either." He told her. "But it's the unintentional part that gets us in trouble."

"I think I have a solution." She said quietly. He read the hesitance on her face and wasn't sure if he wanted to know the idea. "I function well on honesty. I like knowing where we stand, even if it hurts." Booth nodded, his heart squeezing a bit at just the memory of knowing where he stood with her before. "I want to know how you feel, what you're thinking, if I've done something that upsets you. I want to know where I stand with you." She said simply. "That's how I will know that I trust you again. I need honesty."

"Okay." Booth said, willing to do that for her.

"What do you need from me?" She asked, that rare, quiet, unsure voice of hers appearing once again. Booth thought seriously about her question, wanting to give the right answer.

"I need to know that you aren't going to push me away again." He started. "I don't want a relationship at arm's distance, Bones. I need to know that you aren't going to throw up your walls every time something gets hard." She mulled over what he had asked of her.

"I will make a sincere effort to try." She replied. "For a very long time, I was the only one taking care of me. I need time alone to process things, especially important things. I can't guarantee that that will change."

"Time alone is fine, Bones." He assured her. "Everyone needs that. You just have to let me know that the time and space is temporary. It scares me when you shut down. I don't know what you're thinking or what you're feeling."

"You don't know where you stand." She summed up, a look of understanding breaking through her features.

"Exactly." He said, relief washing over him.

Did they just _finally_ find a way to meet each other halfway?

If he were completely honest with himself, he wasn't sure that he had ever really thought that was a possibility for them. He had always assumed that a relationship with her would be a constant battle with some really great moments sprinkled over the top. Suddenly, an entire universe of possibility was opening up.

They might actually be able to make this work.

"I know." Brennan smiled as Booth realized he had spoken the words out loud. "It's a strange thought."

"Really strange, but nice." He smiled.

"What about the FBI?" She asked, bringing their high moment back down to reality. Booth had considered the FBI thousands of times. He had consulted every manual, laid out the rules, and he had yet to find anything that could stop them from separating the pair.

Except for one thing.

"We'll have to go to them first so they don't think we're hiding anything." He said. "The only evidence we really have to persuade them is our solve rate. We're a good team, Bones. It would be in their best interest to keep us together."

"But it's in the rules." She said. "Why would the FBI make an exception for us?" She asked.

"Because we have a secret weapon." He said, a sly smile creeping onto his features.

"What's that?" She asked, not believing him for a second.

"Caroline." He grinned.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This is for Laffers, who needs a pick me up. Thanks to SomeoneTookMyName for the read through. **

OOOOO

"You what?" Booth winced as Caroline gave him one of her patented 'Y'all are crazy' looks.

"Do you think you could help us out?" He asked.

"Let me get this straight. You want me to walk into my boss's office and fight _against_ the people who pay me to fight on their behalf? Now why would I want to go and do a thing like that?" Booth knew that it wasn't a matter of her principles; she was just fishing for some sort of compensation. He sighed as the words 'blackmailing a federal agent' ran through his mind. What _was _it with the women in his life?

"Because we're the best team you've ever had working for you and we have nearly doubled your success rate in court and, you know, if you don't help us, that's all going to go away." Booth stated logically. Bones would be proud. Caroline stared wordlessly at him, not impressed with his offer. "And I'll buy you dinner?" He added, unsure of what she wanted. She kept staring blankly at him. "Two dinners?"

"If I do this, I want the freedom to choose my own reward at any point and time in the future."

"What?" Booth gaped at her, knowing no good could come of that.

"You heard me. You will owe me one. Big time." She added, a fiery look in her eye. Oh, this was going to cost him.

"Deal." He muttered reluctantly, his desperation winning the day. She smiled victoriously.

"I'll see what I can find, Cherie." She smiled as she walked away.

OOOOO

Brennan watched with interest as Booth sat next to her on her office couch, filling out his paperwork and signing his name before passing it off to her and picking up another file.

"What, Bones?" He said, never looking up. She smiled at his ability to feel her gaze and shrugged.

"Nothing." She said.

"It's never nothing with you. Your mind never turns off." He said as he handed her another file. "So spill."

"I was just remembering all of the nights we used to do this." She explained. "Thai food, paper work..." she trailed off. Booth looked at her with piqued interest and she knew he could read something else in her face. "We've been partners for a long time." She added quietly.

"Yes we have." He was staring at her again, trying to read her thoughts. She wondered if he was having success. Judging by the sudden change of his features, he was. "You think the FBI is going to break us up." He said as he set down his paperwork with a sigh.

"No, I'm just planning for all possibilities." She said as if it were a different thing entirely.

"You've been staring at me all day because you think this is the last time you're going to get to do it?" She shrugged again. "Bones, come here." He said as he waved her closer to him on the couch. She followed orders and she laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her still. "They're not going to break us up. I told you Caroline is working on it. She'll find something." He assured her. "I know it."

"You don't." She said as she absent-mindedly played with his tie.

"And even if they do decide to break us up, which they won't, you'll still get to stare at me all you want outside of work." He added with a smirk.

"I wasn't staring." She lied.

"I like it when you stare." He confessed. She felt her stomach clench in desire at the sudden turn this conversation was taking. "You're doing it again." He said as he looked into her eyes.

"That's because I want to kiss you." She informed him. The electricity between them crackled and hissed as they both imagined what they would do if they were in a different environment.

"Guys, I'm heading out, but..." Cam stopped dead in her tracks as she felt the obvious tension in the room. They both turned to look at her and she opened her mouth to comment but she closed it again. When she saw Booth's amused face, she found the courage to speak again. "I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" She asked.

"Nope, we're just sitting here. Doing paperwork." Booth replied honestly but his grin gave him away.

"Security cameras. Please, just... security cameras." She reminded them before she turned and walked out of the office as quickly as she could. Brennan giggled as she turned to look at Booth.

"Security cameras?" Booth asked her.

"Angela and Hodgins." She replied.

"Right." Booth nodded once in understanding before turning to look out the glass at Cam once more. "Poor Cam." Booth said.

"Now we really have to tell the FBI." Brennan said.

"Cam wouldn't tell on us." Booth was a tad too confident for Brennan's liking.

"We have to be more careful."

"I can see how making eye contact while sitting on the same couch is a slippery slope." He mocked with a roll of his eyes.

"You know what I mean. No more _looking _at me in the office. We have to keep it professional."

"Fine. I'll stop_ looking _at you." He smirked. "Let's finish this paperwork so we can go home. I plan on looking at a lot more of you tonight, _Dr. _Brennan." He said as he overemphasized her title. Brennan knew he was just playing with her sense of professionalism but she felt a chill slide down her spine at his words.

"I'll look forward to that, Agent Booth." She said just as seductively back. The sizzle in the air was back as Booth's eyes darkened at her tone. She came to her senses first and turned back to her paperwork.

"Slippery slope." She sing-songed to him as she kept her eyes on the file in her lap. She heard Booth clear his throat and she couldn't fight the smirk that came with the knowledge that she had been right.

OOOOO

Booth had waited.

He had waited through paperwork, and Brennan closing up her office and through the excruciatingly long drive back to her place.

He waited in the elevator and as she fished her keys out of her purse to unlock the door.

By the time she closed the door behind them, Booth was completely through with waiting.

He reached out for her hips and spun her around so that her back was against the front door. He placed his right hand next to her head as he trapped her underneath his warm body. She didn't look surprised, in fact, she looked...calm? Brennan gazed up at him, silently waiting for him to take her right then and there.

_How was that possible?_

It wasn't fair that he was so frantic for this woman when she looked so at ease. She had to know how much she affected him so her cool demeanor must mean that she felt in control. He sized her up once more, forming a game plan in his mind. He needed to make her feel just as desperate as he did. He licked his lips before kissing his way down her strong jaw line. He felt her quiet moan vibrating under his lips as he made his way down her throat and across to the other side of her face.

"Kiss me." She pleaded as she wriggled beneath him.

"I thought I was." He teased before sucking her earlobe into his mouth and nibbling on it. He let his hand slide up her inner thigh, his fingers leaving a scorching trail of sin behind them as they went. He paused just short of her sex and whispered in her ear.

"Are you wet for me, Doctor Brennan?" He asked, wanting her to tell him. He felt her exhale sharply and she had to gather her wits before answering his question.

"You're the investigator here, Agent Booth. Why don't you find out?" She teased as she parted her legs ever so slightly more for him. Booth knew what she was trying to do but he wouldn't fall for it. Not this time.

"Where's the fun in that?" He asked, his eyes gleaming with mischief as his thumb still rubbed tantalizing circles along her inner thigh. "No, I want you to tell me where I stand." He murmured darkly, stealing her words. "Tell me what my touch does to you." Brennan let out another moan, this time of disappointment as he stopped his torture on her thigh and turned his attention to unbuttoning her blouse. "Talk to me, Bones." He demanded before kissing her exposed skin as he went.

"It feels good." She muttered. "So good..."

"Good how?" He paused only long enough to ask the question.

"I feel like I'm on fire and, and shaking from the cold all at once." She tried to explain. Booth groaned against her skin at her response. Her hand clutched the back of his head, encouraging the wet kisses down her torso until he was on his knees in front of her and moving to unzip her skirt.

"God, I want to taste you." He mumbled against her belly. He slid her skirt and panties to the ground and she immediately stepped out of them, her heels still on her feet. He slid a finger through her slick heat and nearly had a stroke when he realized how wet she was for him.

So much for being relaxed, he smirked inwardly to himself.

"Booth..." She begged above him and he slid back up her body. He shoved the blouse off her shoulders and quickly removed her bra so that she was standing completely naked before him aside from her heels.

"Oh Bones..." He praised as he moved forward to kiss her. She greedily welcomed his kiss, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her naked body against his fully clothed one.

"Too many clothes." She murmured as she immediately went to work stripping him of his jacket and tie. He kicked off his shoes and undid his belt buckle as she worked on his shirt. When he was finally undressed, she pushed him over to the couch. He wasn't the least bit surprised when she sat him down on the middle cushion and straddled him, her daintily-heeled feet dangling off the edge of the front of the couch.

He gazed up into her eyes as he let his finger graze her sex again. He watched in fascination as her eyes fluttered shut at his touch. He circled her clit slowly, toying with her just to watch her reactions. He took a nipple into his mouth and let his tongue copy the circular action. Once again, her hands entangled themselves in his hair as she thrust her chest into his waiting mouth. She may have been on top, but he was finally the one in control and they both knew it.

In the midst of his ministrations, he remembered his earlier comment of wanting to taste her. It was something he hadn't had a chance to do with her yet and after years of curiosity, he wasn't going to miss the chance now.

"Bed." He commanded as he wrapped one arm around her waist and another under her leg and stood up, taking her by surprise.

"Booth!" She squealed as he walked her to the bedroom. "Be careful!" He placed a knee on the mattress and cautiously laid her down underneath him. He had leaned in close when he laid her down and now made no attempt to move away. His eyes searched her own playfully.

"I wasn't going to drop you." Booth informed her, his low, rough voice giving his intentions away. Her eyes flashed but she didn't have time to respond. He slid down her body, parted her legs and took her with his mouth. The indulgent sigh she gave him told him that she was going to gladly give in to anything he wanted and right now, he only wanted more of her.

OOOOO

_Brennan was staring at a set of remains. A high-ranking officer stood behind her in uniform, waiting for her to make her assessment. How did she get here? She hadn't remembered being told to identify the body, but she felt obligated to answer the unspoken question. She leaned in closer._

_Male, early 40s, extensive damage to the skeletal system had seemed to occur over many years. She glanced down at the feet and saw signs of abuse, which explained the officer standing behind her watching her every move. The toes almost reminded her of… but it couldn't be. She shook off the notion and headed up to examine the rib cage. She felt sick as her eyes immediately noticed the rib pitting and healed fractures. _

_A compression fracture to the T3. _

_A small circle on the skull where the victim had once had brain surgery to remove a tumor. A tumor she had diagnosed._

_She backed away from the body as fast as she could. The expressionless officer stood silent, immovable as she tried to grill him for information. _

"_Who is this?" She demanded to know. "Why is he here?" The man finally turned to stare at her, a knowing look on his face._

_"No. No, no, no!" She cried, desperate to deny what she had seen._

"Bones..." She heard Booth calling to her but she couldn't quite get there. "Bones, wake up." He begged. Brennan opened her eyes with a start. "Bones?" He questioned. She stared at him. "It's okay, it's just me. You were dreaming." Booth informed her.

She sat up and looked around, surprised to find herself in her own bed. She took another look at Booth's concerned face before launching herself into his arms and burying her face in his warm neck. She wanted nothing more than to feel safe and his arms were the safest place she knew. He held her fast, just as she knew he would.

"You're safe now. I'm right here." He murmured soothing things in her ear as he rubbed her back. She pulled away only to look into his eyes again. Her left hand trailed down to his chest while her right came to rest on his cheek. She needed to be certain that he was here, that this was real. He seemed to understand her silent inquiry and he leaned into her hand, never flinching at the contact. In fact, he mimicked the action as his own hand came to rest on her cheek, brushing the stray tears away with his thumb.

"Make love to me." She whispered the request, still uncomfortable with using the phrase. Her voice sounded so meek, so desperate as it escaped her throat that it sounded foreign to both of them. Booth's eyes showed the surprise that the rest of his stoic expression hid but almost immediately, he moved forward and kissed her forehead. Brennan closed her eyes at the contact and held her breath as he kissed each of her eyebrows and her nose. He laid her down underneath him and when his mouth finally met hers, she was met with a surge of unspoken emotion. She knew that those particular words meant so much more to them than four little words should. They were the final barrier. They represented how far they had come together.

"I love you." She heard the words fall from his lips as he looked into her eyes, but she felt them more than anything. She felt them in his touch, in his kiss, in the way he held her. She already knew, long before he had said the words and she knew that she felt the same way.

"I love you too." Brennan heard herself reply, this time stronger, more certain. Booth kissed her as he slid into her and she sighed into his mouth as he filled her completely. His pace was slow but constant. She felt powerless as overwhelming waves of emotion crashed over her again and again as his sure and steady love filled her both physically and emotionally.

"Open your eyes." His words invaded her haze of pleasure and it took her a moment to recognize what he had asked. His request was the perfect mix of a command and plea and she had to follow orders. As navy blue met dark brown, she was completely overcome by the intensity of his expression and she shattered beneath him, pulling him along with her as they both spiraled into oblivion.

She barely noticed as he fell next to her and pulled her tightly against his chest but she did regain her senses long enough to register his lips kissing her hair lightly.

"Go back to sleep." He murmured. She tensed momentarily at the thought but he rubbed her shoulder encouragingly. "It's okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He promised. And with those words, she settled into his warm chest, closed her eyes and let sleep claim her once more.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This is the final chapter. Short and sweet with an ending specifically for Jenlovesbones. :D I hope you enjoyed this birthday fic! Speaking of, if y'all didn't see them yet, Someonetookmyname, Biba79 and JMHaughey wrote me (and DB) some lovely Bones bday fics and you can find them in my most recent favorite stories. They are awesome! Thanks for reading!**

Booth propped himself up on his elbow and watched as Brennan slept peacefully next to him. His thoughts were heavy with the events of the last 12 hours. Last night had been great. Needless to say, he had gone to bed a very happy man. Yet he had woken up to the terrifying sounds of her screaming next to him. It was a sound he never wanted to hear again. It wasn't like her to be so shaken by something and he couldn't help but fixate on what might have haunted her thoughts so intrusively.

Booth felt his heart drop into his stomach at a more disturbing notion: maybe this happened as frequently for her as it did for him. It was entirely possible that she suffered from nightmares. He recalled her confession before the Gravedigger trial of experiencing them but at the time he had just assumed they were due to the stress of the case. Now, the thought of her waking up alone, screaming like she did, with no one to comfort her nearly broke his heart. It took everything he had not to wake her up just to find out more but Brennan seemed to have sensed his anxiety because she stirred awake.

"Good morning." Booth said as he laid down on his pillow again, evening the playing field as he came face to face with her.

"Hi." She smiled as she blinked, her long eyelashes catching his attention.

"How did you sleep?" The question was out of his mouth before he could help it but she took it in stride.

"Better." She said. "I'm sorry that I woke you last night."

"Don't be." Booth shook his head at her. "I'm not." She blushed ever so slightly at his words. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.

"The dream or what we said after?" She asked, unsure of what he was referring to.

"Both, either." She paused for a moment as she considered where to start.

"I have a recurring dream where I'm in a lab identifying a body for a case." She said. "I recognize facial features, injuries, and I slowly realize that the person I'm examining is someone I know." Booth knew it was because of her mother's case. How terrible it must be to realize that a Jane Doe on your slab was actually your mother. She was such a fighter that he sometimes forgot what she had been through. A lesser person would have broken a long time ago. "Who was it last night?" He asked.

"You." She whispered and Booth felt his heart clench in his chest. "I was on this base. There was a soldier standing in the corner supervising me, but he wouldn't speak, wouldn't acknowledge me. I started to work and I knew almost immediately it was you."

"By my bones?" He asked. She nodded.

"I saw the hole in your skull from your surgery. The rib pitting, the compound fracture to your T3, your metatarsals…" She paused for a moment. "I know your skeleton better than I know my own." She confessed. He pulled her close again, wanting to just hold her until she felt better.

"Do you have these nightmares a lot?" He asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

"Occasionally." She replied. "They come and go."

"I hate that I was the reason for you screaming like that." He said quietly.

"Don't do that." She said as she pulled away. "You have no reason to feel bad. You have no control over what I dream."

"You just looked so... terrified. I don't think I've ever seen you that upset." She sighed in frustration.

"Only you could take _my_bad dream and twist it into something for you to feel guilty about."

"It's a gift." He said dryly. He was more than aware he had a penchant for feeling needlessly guilty but that didn't stop him from experiencing it any less.

"Booth, you weren't the cause of my dream, but you were the comfort after it. You made me feel safe and secure. If you want to make something your fault, you can blame yourself for that." She told him, a small smile sneaking onto the corner of her mouth.

"Is that true?" He asked, a little too insecurely for his own liking. "That you feel safe with me?" Her playful countenance grew somber as she realized he was being serious.

"Yes." She said definitively as she sat up. Her analytical stare was relentless and with his current anxieties on display, he had to look away to avoid her reading too much in his eyes. "Booth, I trust you with my life on a daily basis. Can you think of anyone else I trust even half that much?" He knew that much was true. She didn't trust anyone to do something if she thought she could do it better herself. "You've never given me a reason to doubt you."

"I left." He said the words out loud for the first time.

"So did I."

"I hurt you."

"So did I." She repeated. "But even after all of that, I still meant what I said last night." She said as she reached out and touched his cheek softly, her thumb tracing the worry lines etched on his face.

"You love me." He stated the implied sentence for her. She nodded. He processed that thought. He had known it for some time, but experiencing it like this, he couldn't help but ask the question that was on his mind. "How long?" She looked surprised by his question and she removed her hand from his cheek. "You knew outside the Hoover. That was why you said no but how long did you know before that?" Her silence was frightening. He wasn't sure if she was thinking about her answer or if she was thinking about how much to reveal.

"Looking back? When you were shot." She answered. Now it was her turn to avoid eye contact as she played with her hands. Booth didn't believe her answer. After all, if it had been that long, he would have known, would have seen the signs. As if she could read his mind, she nodded to confirm that it was true. "I knew then that I couldn't deny that we weren't more than colleagues anymore. Although, I would have denied it to anyone else, including you." She confessed. Booth knew all too well what she meant.

"You said you knew from the beginning?" She asked, trying to turn the tables on him.

"I felt attracted to you from the moment I saw you." He said. "You were so different from everyone else I had ever met. There was this... pull," he settled on a description "towards you. It only grew as I got to know you." He replied. "But I thought that I could ignore it. We were professionals." He smiled as he shook his head at the unresolved tension that used to haunt him. "But when I woke up from my surgery, I knew that it wasn't just an attraction thing or even a partner thing. I finally labeled it as love." He spoke quietly but surely, wanting her to understand his own thought process. "I gave it a name, as Dan would say." He added and Brennan smiled softly at the mention of her friend. "I knew in that moment that I was done. That you were that woman that I had always talked about finding. And that scared the hell out of me."

"Because we were partners?" She asked.

"Yeah and because you were you and I was me." He said. "We were..."

"Improbable?" She offered, knowing what he was trying to say.

"To say the least." He agreed. "And so when you said no, I just gave up the thought of us ever working. I thought that with enough time and space, I would get over it eventually."

"Me too." She agreed.

"I didn't." He replied.

"I'm glad." She smiled. Her look of happiness made him grin in return and he tugged on her hand, pulling her down and closer towards him. She smirked as he kissed her before he rolled them over, effectively pinning her down underneath him. As he looked down on her, his heart overflowed with joy.

She loved him.

He loved her.

They were together.

He was certain that the giddy feeling in his chest would never go away. Years from now, he would look at her and still feel the ridiculous thrill that came with knowledge that she loved him and wanted to be with him.

"We're going to be okay, aren't we?" He said, realizing it for the first time. "If the FBI breaks us up, if we're attacked by criminals, if something terrible happens, the center is going to hold. We're always going to have each other." She looked deep into his eyes, a serious look crossing her features as she took in what he was asking her. When she made up her mind, she nodded slowly.

"Always." She promised with a smile.


End file.
